Night shift was MUCH easier pre-kid

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Hi all!

Not sure if this is a vent or looking for advice. I've worked night shift pretty much since I was 19. Grocery store, than LVN, than RN ICU. It's always been easy for me to work nights and sleep all day, until I had my son last year.

Now on my day's off I want to spend time with him, and on the nights I work and come home...well he's loud anyway and even with my fan and darkened room and hubby's attempt to "sound proof" the room I still wake up hearing him.

The switching my schedule back and forth is wearing me down, and I'm just not sure what to do anymore.

The option of switching to days doesn't exist, because there are no jobs right now. We really need that extra money anyway, because I have ridiculous student loans.

Sorry for the vent. I love my nights and my people, but now that I'm a mom I just feel like I'm barely adequate at it. Doesn't help he's so clingy when I leave for work.

Specializes in LTC, Ortho/Med-Surg.

Hey, there. I don't have any advice for you, but I just wanted you to know that I'm in a very similar boat and know how you feel!

New nurse, graduated May 2011 and just started working night shift on a med-surg unit at the end of December. I've worked nights before, but this is the first night job I've had since my son was born (he's three).

I love my job, and professionally, I'm fine with thirds. It's my family time/time off that I'm having a hard time with. I feel like whenever I'm off, I'm sleeping the time away that I could be spending with my husband and little boy, and I swear I'm in my pajamas 90% of the time! Makes me feel like a bad mom, and I feel like I'm missing out on so much of my little guy's day to day life!

While I can't offer much advice, I've got buckets of empathy for you! Maybe we should start a support group for night shift mothers of small children, lol!!

Specializes in ICU.

I hear ya. I did fine prior to pregnancy. From then on it was falling asleep at the wheel, getting 2 hours of sleep. My husband and I seperated when our daughter was 6 months, and it became even harder. But I managed for 2 years from then on and then switched to day shift. Get yourself on the list now! The night differential is nice, but you can cover that by doing one overtime dayshift, which is much more doable on a normal schedule.

Good luck!

Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

I know how you feel. I'm going on my 4th year of night shift as a mom. It has many pluses but the sluggishness I feel on my off nights are getting to be not worth it.

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