Looking to hear your personal experience

[missladyrn]

For those of you who have worked as a floor nurse while pregnant, was just hoping to hear your experience. How long did you work? Right up until you were 9 months or did you leave sooner? What type of floor were you on? Anyone work nights while pregnant? Just looking to hear from one of you who have done this before! How long did you take off after the baby came?

[AnonRNC]

With my first, I was at the end of nursing school and worked per diem as a CNA (not much). I was off for 9 weeks and returned as an RN.

With my second, I was working 12-hr days as an RN. I kinda stopped working at 35 weeks due to an "irritable uterus" (lots of contractions but no cervical changes). Some days I gave away to co-workers, some days I got low census. It worked out. With that one I got 16 weeks AFTER she was born (plus 3.5-4 before)....it was wonderful.

Oh, and I worked on the medical floor of a regional pediatric hospital. 4-6 patients, lots of turnover (discharge-admit, repeat).

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I was ICU/CC/stepdown day charge for my first pregnancy, 40 hour week, 8 hour shifts, on my feet all day, actively involved in patient care, worked until a week before my due date except for a 2-week vacation I took at about 7 1/2 months (camping, river rafting, and hiking)(Was I really that fit then? Wow.). Did CPR at 8 months, spent most of first trimester peeing every hour, but it was not a problem otherwise. I was young and healthy, so no biggie. Women in undeveloped countries do more physical work with less nutrition.

I started grad school part-time when she was 6 weeks old, took her with me to class for three months, then got a babysitter. Didn't go back to floor work until child 2, born three years later, 5 months after I finished school, was 7 months old.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Everyone's pregnancy is different and every pregnancy for the same woman is slightly different. I assume you're asking because you recently found out you were pregnant?What you can do right now: take a wait and see approach to your pregnancy. It might be a piece of cake! (Mine were, but I was not a nurse then.) Read up on your FMLA rights and responsibilities. Read up on your facility's medical leave provisions. Think about how much time you want with your baby after its born. Research childcare options.All that said, I have plenty of nurse friends who worked up to the birth and came back earlier than six weeks. I also know a handful who had to take intermittent FMLA prior to the birth during particularly difficult trimesters. It's really a case-by-case thing.And congratulations!

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

I worked nights in the ER for the first two trimesters of my pregnancy. I then switched to days. It was too hard to sleep during the day without the use of sleep aids. I kept working right up until the week I gave birth because you can only take 12 weeks of FMLA so there was no way I was going to take time before baby came and then go back to work that soon after. I also took the entire 12 weeks off. Some of my coworkers take less time citing a lack of PTO/paychecks but my opinion is WHATEVER. If I am here and nursing a baby all night then I will be darned if I am going back to work before my milk supply is well established and end up paying for formula instead.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I worked nights in a busy neuro ICU. I went off at 37 weeks and was home until my son was 8 weeks old. I continued to work nights after he was born.

Congrats!

[Caffeine_IV]

I worked until 2 days before 36 weeks when I delivered. It was unexpected so I was still planning to work. I stayed out for 10 weeks. I was and am a night shifter.