Night shifters

[mrssmith613]

Anyone else work night shifts either on the regular or just occasionally? I work night shifts here and there and they seriously make me so nauseous when pregnant. If I'm scheduled to work 3 in a row (12hr shifts) I end up having to call in the 3rd night because I can't stop throwing up.. Any tips or tricks to get through them?

[leahks77]

Argh so hard! I do, but I'm per diem now so I rarely work more than 1 in a row. I worked full time nights when I was pregnant with DS though, and it was tough. Do you have other kids? (I apologize that I'm on tapatalk and can't see siggys). I found taking a unisom when I got home helped with the nausea, and allowed me to sleep soundly for the longest time. And that helps so much. And since nobody was depending on me during the day it was possible. Unfortunately now I only get to sleep from 9-12 after my nights (yuck) so unisom is out. I also switched to 8's this time so I can nap before I go in. As far as surviving the shift, as hard as it is, making sure I eat before I even go in is crucial. And staying hydrated and snacking during my shift are equally important.
If it gets too tough, is there any chance of switching to days? A lot of OBs will write a letter. I had two nurses at my last job who were too sick to do it, and switching to days made a huge difference.
Good luck and you have my sympathies!! I'll be on tonight and thinking of you!

[mrssmith613]

I do work days primarily and my co workers have always been so good at switching with me but a few times coming up and recently this past wknd there was no one to switch with me. I do have two other kids and I also felt the same way with them when I was pregnant and worked he nights. Maybe I'll have to try the unisom next week.

When I work nights during the week they go to daycare but on the weekend when DH and them are home it's so hard to get any sleep which makes it worse!

My scheduler suggested getting an order last pregnancy to work just days because without it she is required to schedule some nights in there since its a day/night position. I am hesitant to ask my OB about writing an order and I think it's because this is my first time using her and she works nights too so I feel like she'll just laugh at me.