is it doable to work night shift after having a baby?

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hello everyone,

I'm trying to get opinions.. My husband works in an office from M-F, and so do I. Currently I am pregnant and I will deliver on September. I am planning to keep my position as a school nurse because of the benefit. But then after the contract ends, I am planning to go back to bedside. I love being a school nurse, but I don't feel comfortable to leave my baby in a daycare. Hence, M-F job is not an option for me. Based on your experience, or perhaps somebody you knew who have been going through this, is night shift doable when you have a baby under 1 year old? This is my first pregnancy, so I'm hoping for some guidance.. Thank you ?

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I know a guy who has this exact situation with his wife. She works day shift and he works nights. He is a zombie every day because the baby is not on a night shift schedule. It is doable, you just have to get creative with your sleep.

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.

Sure, it's doable, just not very smart. You'll go through your child's early years in a haze, well, more of a haze than normal. Working nights is hard enough, even if you like nights. Then add in being even more tired because you're only getting a few hours sleep when your baby sleeps...not to mention you're doing your patients a disservice. How would you feel if you made a mistake that harmed them because you were on your third shift and had only gotten a few hours sleep for the past few days?

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You would still have to put the baby in daycare so you could sleep. You can’t work all night and take care of a baby all day. Yes, babies nap, but not long enough for you to get any type of sleep.

Daycare is not the end of the world. I’ve had great experiences with my kids.

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If you're able to manage financially, and you and your husband both value keeping your baby out of childcare, a better option than nights (and needing someone to still watch baby while you sleep during day) might be to work part time weekends.

The downsides would be that you and your husband only had evenings together, and you wouldn't make a full time income. (The difference in hospital pay vs school nursing pay, and weekend differentials, would help account for some of the lost income.)

The upside is that the two of you would be your baby's primary care providers, and you might feel more mentally stable than the stress of flipping days and nights with a newborn.

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