I recently found out I'm pregnant, and am wondering how long I will be able to stay at work (realistically...)
We are a Level II, 50 bed ER, and since our staffing has been cut down to bare bones (5 patients apiece, but more at times) we literally run and gun for 12 hours straight. It's easy for people to say, 'slow down, take it easy,' but it's not in my nature. Right now I'm still in my first trimester, and I'm doing everything I normally do, just asking for a little more help with transporting and turning/pulling patients up, etc.
I've been thinking I would go to triage when I got too big to actually move, but they've recently cut us down to one triage nurse, and it's not like triage is a 'sit down' job anyway. I tend to be up and down just as much when I'm there as when I have a patient load.
I have the option to transfer to GI Lab, which is a Monday-Friday, 7a-3p shift, and would probably be physically easier, but I don't really want to... I'm an ER nurse to the core, and am bored out of my gourd when I'm checking in patients who are having OP colonoscopies.
I know this is a huge forum...can someone share their experiences with me?
I finished a 12hr night shift 11 hours before my second daughter was born. I was used to working nights and used to the pace and had no complications with my pregnancy. I really had more problems in the beginning of my pregnancy, as I felt I just couldn't get enough sleep! That phase passed quickly and it was work as usual. My co workers were great about helping lift pts or keeping me away from the violent drunks or the really sick kids. I did spend more time in triage at the end,..at least there I could sit down once in awhile.
Best of Luck to you and congrats on the new little one!!
We usually have several nurses pregnant at the same time, I think some kind of pregnancy rotation has been set up. As other have said, most of them work till their due date if they are physically able to and are cleared by their doctor. But we also have some that have not been able to, and there is absolutely no shame in that, every pregnancy is different, and believe me that your coworkers will understand.
You should get lots of help with your daily pushing and pulling tasks without asking for it. Hell, I sometimes get a little overzealous with it...but I have never heard a complaint so I will continue to do so.
Thanks all that replied... I'm actually the third pregnant nurse at work right now, don't drink the water! Two other girls are due this month and still working. We are blessed that our co-workers help us out, and the charge nurses watch out for us as well.
I'm only 2 months along, and I've not had any issues so far. I'm hungry a lot, and I'm tired a lot, but I think I was that way before I got pregnant. :)
I'm going to just play it by ear...what I've done is cut back to two ER shifts a week, and one of them is a night shift in the chest pain section, which isn't as busy as the medical ER. I do that 12 hour night shift, take a couple days off and then do an 8 hour day in GI and a 12 hour day in medical ER and that's my week. So far, so good. I'm still transporting my own patients if they're on 'good' stretchers (read: that actually STEER) or in wheelchairs and not morbidly obese. Usually when patients find out I'm pregnant, they bend over backwards to be sweet to me. I was a little green the other morning, and one of my patients' family members went to get themselves something to eat, and brought me back some ginger ale as a surprise.
So, here's to a healthy pregnancy...I HAVE to keep working and active or my butt will get as big as the side of the house!
when i was pregnant I worked till my eight month then i couldnt do it anymore..my pubic bones started to hurt......but my coworkers did helped me through all the lifting!!! and some pts were xtra nice....you are the only one that knows your physical abilities...o yea keep urself very hydrated!!if not u might end up as a pt...:wink2: good luck!!
I worked up until 36 weeks and had very few problems. As previous posters said, co-workers were always willing to help me with lifting and transferring. However, at around 34 weeks our management outlawed having any drinks at the nurses station and being dehydrated really affected me. The contractions hit me big-time, my blood pressure went all out of whack, and I got some nasty edema. 12-hour shifts without drinking anything except on lunch break sucks. My OB pulled me out of work at 36 weeks. I really think the hydration plays a big role because I was fine up until that point.
I am 20 wks Pregnant and my doctor gave me restrictions while working ( no lifting or pulling) because of medical condition that can lead to a miscarriage. I had a miscarriage before because of this condition. The problem is my OBGYN still thinks I am able to work and there is no need for bedrest at this time.
My Job (I am an RN) on the other had does not agree and classified my restrictions as LIGHT DUTY. They claim they don't have light duty for pregnacy only for workmanscom(sp) Injury.
I was never given an option to work less days, to do adms, secetary, or monitor tech position. I was just told by my MRG, HR and EMP health that THEY HAVE NO LIGHT DUTY JOBS AVAILABLE FOR PREGNANT RN'S AND I HAVE TO STOP WORKING. the think is I was working fine before; my co-workers were awesome in helping me lift and pull, I am still able to work, myself and the doctor agrees with that.
Now I am home sitting on my butt no work, My PL and job disability runs out at the end of the mth. My thing is women makes up more than half of the nursing field and if and when we do get pregnant and are given restrictions by our OBGYN It's the hospitals responsbilty to find us a place to work or try and work around it. Wouldn't you all agree? The doctor did not say bedrest; had she said that then that would have been different; she just had Restrictions.
Babypoo- I am sorry you are going through this. It must be tough not being able to work. However, you are employed as an RN under a specified job description. If you are unable to meet the criteria under your job description, under OSHA guidelines, your employer cannot allow you to work. They are not required to find a light duty assignment for you unless it is a WC issue (which hopefully this pregnancy is not ). It is not the employer's responsibility to find a job for those who find themselves in these positions. Sucks, I know. But if an RN job description reads.."must be able to lift xx pounds" and you can't- then well- you can't. I have this same conversation with almost every pregnant nurse I work with who thinks if their doc writes them for restrictions they will get a "light duty" assignment, when all they find is that they are sent home. (I do NOT think that is what you are trying to do BTW...)
Not trying to sound preachy- just trying to shed some light on why they won't let you work. Best wishes for you.
). It is not the employer's responsibility to find a job for those who find themselves in these positions. Sucks, I know. But if an RN job description reads.."must be able to lift xx pounds" and you can't- then well- you can't. I have this same conversation with almost every pregnant nurse I work with who thinks if their doc writes them for restrictions they will get a "light duty" assignment, when all they find is that they are sent home. (I do NOT think that is what you are trying to do BTW...)
BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN
1,236 Posts
I finished a 12hr night shift 11 hours before my second daughter was born. I was used to working nights and used to the pace and had no complications with my pregnancy. I really had more problems in the beginning of my pregnancy, as I felt I just couldn't get enough sleep! That phase passed quickly and it was work as usual. My co workers were great about helping lift pts or keeping me away from the violent drunks or the really sick kids. I did spend more time in triage at the end,..at least there I could sit down once in awhile.
Best of Luck to you and congrats on the new little one!!