Night shift - your thoughts please.

[LC88xx]

Hi all. I am coming up for 10 weeks at the end of this week and I have just informed my line manager that I am pregnant. I am working rotational night shifts and she has suggested that I come off the night shifts if I don't feel up to it as might not be good for baby if I am over-long it. Ive done some research and I know there are some slight risks associated with night shift.

I'm more concerned about the level of fatigue I've been experiencing lately. I've basically been needing to sleep for 16 hours plus (} had some holiday leave which I basically spent snoozing). So I'm going to see how I go with the night shifts this week and take it from there.

Just wondered what other folk thought about night shift. I'm hoping once I'm in second trimester the nausea and fatigue will ease up a little and I'll be fine on night shifts, I don't want to be a bother with getting shifts swapped and I definitely don't want them swapped this early as I don't want to tell anyone else I'm pregnant until I've had scan.

Thanks in advance

 

[MissFeb1989]

I've never worked nights, but I know a lot of people who do. And they've always been taken off nights when pregnant xx

 

[Papermoon]

Don't want to scare you or anything, but from everything I've read, the body rests better and do other functions better when you sleep at night. I think you have to be extra diligent in getting the proper rest in the day like you would at night time. You might be able to make night shift work for you though, but I personally would switch to day shift. People don't have to know why yet. If someone asks, just say for health reasons which is true.

 

[LC88xx]

Thanks ladies. I really struggled last night. I've had broken sleep today but feel not too bad. I think I'll do the odd shift but not not more than one in the one go cause I'm drained.

 

[Papermoon]

Yes you get some rest, you need it!

 

[Maaaaaac]

Hey I've worked night shifts my whole pregnancy and my mat leave has just started. Ill tell you my full honest opinion and experience lol. Im a nurse in a dementia care unit and at night work with one carer.

I have always worked night shifts due to family commitments so I wasnt keen to go on days which was also offered to me. Overall I was exhausted and I really feel like I lost of time as I was sleeping a lot the day before work then basically a whole day after to recover so I felt I had no real free time. Saying that though if I was working days would i have needed a day to rest anyway? My main problem was that I had limited help on nights and so my workload weirdly was heavier at night than it would have been on days (more paperwork type duties on days) But i was used to it before I was pregnant so it only really was an issue towards the end I developed gestational diabetes at 30 weeks and working night shifts with it was completely crazy. Really hard to manage, days would have been easier. Night shifts were handier for appointments though, Yes you dont get paid for them but the last ten weeks ive had appointments non stop and because I worked nights I didn't have to worry about organising time/cover or anything. Working nights naturally you end up with thibgs like swollen feet, fatigue, stomach upsets from food without being pregnant so it could be hard if you get these things at nights to manage with extra pregnancy symptoms. My morning sickness was not a problem at all in work which was great but my gosh the heartburn at night was terrible! I had gaviscon kept in work fridge which everyone found hilarious. Baby movements were tough too. My baby moves a lot at night and i was used to the sleep wake pattern when in work but when i had nights off i kept panicking because movements felt reduced. It was only because in comparison to night it was. Then again if you are busy during the day you may not feel it due to other distractions.

All in all it really is just weighing up pros and cons and its not easy to predict what might happen (such as gestational diabetes, low iron etc) i don't regret working nights through it. I did however have to start my maternity leave two weeks earlier than planned and i think part of it was related to nights. My workload had increased, diet harder to manage and maybe if i worked days i might have lasted a bit longer. If if would be an option ask your manager could you review it at 28 weeks or something. I should have done that instead of just keeping my head down haha

I hope this was some sort of help, i really didn't know what to think at the start!

 

[smilingsophie]

I worked night shifts as well as day shifts up to 17weeks. I found the night shifts more tiring and found it extremely difficult adjusting from night to days. The other problem I found was that I couldn't drink caffeine to keep me awake so generally felt terrible by 8am when my shift finished.

By 17 weeks I was signed off work for 2 weeks with fatigue and I think that was because of the 12 hour busy night shifts on my feet. changing to day shifts meant i slept better and ate more healthy.

I would see how you feel on night shifts but I think you may struggle if you are needing 16 hours sleep at the moment

 

[LC88xx]

Thanks ladies for your feedback. I'm going to come off the night shifts, I need to get my body in a good routine as I am wiped out. smilingsophie I'm also struggling without the caffeine, used to drink 5 cups or more on a night shift just to get me through.

Thanks again

 

[Papermoon]

Good for you I'm glad to hear that. I think that's best. I know how you feel without coffee. I used to drink lots of strong coffee before I got pregnant, and when I stopped drinking it my body was coping with no coffee as well as pregnancy fatigue and it made my fatigue twice as bad.