Pregnant and wanting to LEAVE early

[RNintheER]

I am currently an ER nurse and am 26 weeks pregnant. I work in an understaffed hospital with very high turnover. There are only 2 staff RN's on the nightshift. The rest are travelers or registry. I have been having a frustrating pregnancy from the beginning. I had hyperemesis until 19 weeks. I had a thrombosed hemmorrhoid removed last week and I have had sciatic nerve pain and ligament pain throughout. I am usually not a complainer but I am frustrated!

Last week I was taking care of a guy high on cocaine who flipped out and hit me in the stomach/chest area with his right arm that had a cast on it. Because I couldn't leave immediately and check on myself or by baby, I finished assisting with the cath UA and then left. I stopped with the tech and got FHT's with the doppler which made me feel a little better. Then my shift was over. I have been having some lower abdominal pressure every since then....no spotting and the pressure is irregular, comes and goes mostly when I am at work or doing heavy housework at home. I am going to my OB today and I want him to put me on disability for the remainder of my pregnancy. I feel that this would be appropriate due to the unstable environment and with the ER being so understaffed. Sometimes I don't even get to pee until 8 hours into my shift!

Is this a reasonable concern to me or am I being overly paranoid!?

Thanks for the input!

[JRapha'sRN]

I have to agree with some of each opinion. If you are having pain and putting yourself and/or the baby at risk, you need to do something different. On the other hand, if you can take the "LOL,FDGB" type people or other non-violent patients and leave the unpredictable ones to the other staff members than I would think you could continue to work.

I am 28 weeks pregnant and still working full-time plus in my ED. Most of the staff members are great about letting me pass on the patients I don't feel safe with. I also pass on the "lady partsl bleeding, possible miscariage" patients (for the patient's sake as they grieve) and haven't had any coworkers complain.

Does your ED let you sit at triage? Doing triage is not as physically active as being back in the thick of the action.

As far as the pressure you are experiencing, are you having Braxton-Hicks contractions? I would investigate your symptoms. If this is a complication placing your baby at risk it needs to be treated seriously. If it is a normal irritation of pregnancy than it may not warrant going on leave already.

[Jennifer, RN]

I worked up to my due date as a nurse with my last 2 pregnancies, and am now 29 weeks pregant working in a very busy ER. I would love to go on leave, but don't think it is necessary strictly because I work in an ER. I demand bathroom/lunch/dinner breaks now and am cautious about taking care of certain pts. My coworkers are all very supportive. The OP should definitely talk to her OB about her abd "pressure", but sometimes abd pain, and especially pressure, are common during pregnancy d/t to stretching of ligaments and the growing baby and are no reasons to freak out. And, word of advice, don't ever cath a "high on cocaine" pt without enough people in the room to restrain him/her, whether you are pregnant or not.