Help- Switching jobs after maternity leave

[telly32487]

i need some advise!! i am so stressed.. i have been at my current job for 3 months. i work labor and delivery/ post partum and :heartbeatlove my job:redbeathe! i work 12 hour night shift in which i do not like.. so i have been offered a 8-5 m-f job making 6 dollars more and hour:twocents:!! i don't think i will enjoy my job as much as i enjoy l&d but i am 38 weeks pregnant and about to have my first child. 8-5 m-f is the same schedule my husband has and i know it will be better for my family!! my current employer has been so good to me, they hired me knowing i was pregnant and willing to hold my job when i go on maternity leave and i assured them that i would return promptly. if i take the current offer i have told them that i can't start until 8 weeks post partum (6 weeks maternity and giving my current employer 2 working weeks after maternity leave) and they are okay with that. i don't know what to do!!! i feel so bad because for .1. i have only been there for 3 months and .2. i would be leaving after maternity leave.. i don't want to burn any bridges where i am at.. any advise???

[tigkaskit, BSN]

I am returning to work in a few weeks after maternity leave, and I am choosing to work 12hr nights (only 2 shifts per week) so that we can avoid paying for childcare. Have you thought about your child care options if you're working M-F? I know the increased pay is a big draw, but you're going to be spending it on daycare unless you're lucky enough to have a family member watch your baby for free.

I'd be reluctant to leave L&D since it sounds like you like it so much. Sometimes it's hard to find a nursing job you actually like!

[YVSUOMAL]

I have worked both 8 and 12 hour days. I used to work12 hour shifts in a urgent care and I have worked a M-F job in the clinic 8-5. In my experience I found the M-F job much more tiring - one I usually never got out by 5pm and I felt as though I had no real time with my kids. I would get home make supper, do laundry, bedtime routine and make sure things were ready for the next day and that pretty much took care of the evening. 2. The 2 days you have off fly by and scheduling in doctor appointments and such can be a real pain. When I worked 12 hour days I found the 12 hours were long but on my days off I was not as tired out and had lots of energy to do things, I had good quality days with my kids. I could get the things done on my days off that I needed to and did not have to come home from work and do everything and I could attend things when the kids were little like classes designed for moms and there tots, help out at preschool-school, Christmas programs, and such. It's a hard decision, best of luck!

[tigkaskit, BSN]

I totally agree with the previous post. If you work till 5, get home at say 5:30, and your baby goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 (basing this on my own 9 week old), you barely have any time with your little one. If you can stand the 12hr shifts but can't stand nights, can you possibly switch to 12hr days? Or is part-time an option? I really feel like the more full days off you have, the better.