Full moon this weekend

LPNweezy · Mar 16, 2011

Sweet adolescent jesus... prepare for chaos!

I've heard similar 'full moon stories' but never had any experiences myself, i'm curious to see the replies :lol2:

i know one thing, you better post after your shift to tell us all the crazy stuff that happened! :)

MassED, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2011

oh no!!!!!! I am on all weekend, dang! But a supermoon!! Wonder what kinds of photos will come from this moon? Not that it'll matter, since I'll by dying in the chaos of psychiatric patients in the ER....

OldNurseEducator · Mar 16, 2011

Sweet adolescent jesus... prepare for chaos!
I've heard similar 'full moon stories' but never had any experiences myself, i'm curious to see the replies
i know one thing, you better post after your shift to tell us all the crazy stuff that happened! :)

I'm still laughing! Thanks for the humor! You made my morning! :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :nurse:

Patchouli · Mar 16, 2011

prepare for the worst!

OldNurseEducator · Mar 16, 2011

Hi everyone. I am 37w1d pg and hoping to deliver soon!!! DS1 was born at 36w4d. I was wondering what your experience on your floor is during full moon. Is it an old wives tale or is your floor really busy with laboring moms during the full moon? This Saturday is the "supermoon" when the moon will be closer to the earth than it has been in the last 18 years. I'm a "new" grad working as a sub school nurse, so I have no L&D experience other than clinicals during school, though I really want to be and L&D nurse. Just wondering what your experience has been. Thanks!

I forgot to say" Good luck. Hoping for a safe, complication-free delivery! Have fun with the little one! What a joy!".:heartbeat:nurse:

MouseMichelle · Mar 16, 2011

Well I work on nights at a LTC and it's funny because the day before and the day after the full moon it's NUTS, but the night of the full moon it's peaceful.

Also this full moon is called I think A MAJOR full moon because it will be the closest to the planet in I think 8 years....so watch out...

NPinWCH · Mar 16, 2011

I worked L&D for 15 years and never thought about the moon, but other RNs I worked with swore it made for a crazy shift or two. I remember TONS of crazy shifts, more than there are full moons, so I personally don't think the moon has anything to do with it.

I think as humans we like to have a reason for things, so if we have a busy shift around the full moon, we blame the moon.

Personally, I think barometric pressure changes affect women in labor more than the moon. I mean sure the moon affects large bodies of water, but no changes are seen on smaller ones. I've seen big changes in temperature and storm fronts moving through the area cause labor. I mean we can actually measure barometric pressure in small increments with small amounts of fluids, but since the moon works with gravity the effect will be greater on something with a larger mass. The moon does however change the tides, which in turn changes barometric pressures, but this is limited to areas on coasts, with tides. The resulting weather patterns from those coastal pressure changes will eventually be felt inland.

I know plenty of you might disagree, but I'll stick with the science. Also, the studies have not supported the "full moon" theory. There is some proof that during the week more babies are born spontaneously on Tuesday and fewest on Sunday and some limited, but not statistically significant proof, that in response to the moon, more are born between the last quarter and the full moon. It is true, that more births occur in May and fewest happen September to October.

Page with quick info: http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/health-myths/births-full-moon2.htm

MouseMichelle · Mar 16, 2011

Loving this thread.

tweetyRN · Mar 16, 2011

I worked L&D for 15 years and never thought about the moon, but other RNs I worked with swore it made for a crazy shift or two. I remember TONS of crazy shifts, more than there are full moons, so I personally don't think the moon has anything to do with it.
I think as humans we like to have a reason for things, so if we have a busy shift around the full moon, we blame the moon.
Personally, I think barometric pressure changes affect women in labor more than the moon. I mean sure the moon affects large bodies of water, but no changes are seen on smaller ones. I've seen big changes in temperature and storm fronts moving through the area cause labor. I mean we can actually measure barometric pressure in small increments with small amounts of fluids, but since the moon works with gravity the effect will be greater on something with a larger mass. The moon does however change the tides, which in turn changes barometric pressures, but this is limited to areas on coasts, with tides. The resulting weather patterns from those coastal pressure changes will eventually be felt inland.
I know plenty of you might disagree, but I'll stick with the science. Also, the studies have not supported the "full moon" theory. There is some proof that during the week more babies are born spontaneously on Tuesday and fewest on Sunday and some limited, but not statistically significant proof, that in response to the moon, more are born between the last quarter and the full moon. It is true, that more births occur in May and fewest happen September to October.
Page with quick info: http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/health-myths/births-full-moon2.htm

I sure FEEL like a "large body of water" LOL Also, I live on Long Island, less than 2 miles from the water, so who knows?

I will be sure to post if I deliver this weekend. :)

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Mar 16, 2011

SPOILER ALERT! Sorry to be a buzz kill, I can only speak for ER's, but the "full moon = bad shift" idea has long been disproved in formal studies and careful anecdotal observations. Working in a city with a large military and government presence, we did note that the first weekend after payday was consistently the biggest trauma weekend. We also noticed that towards the end of the month all the street people were broke and came in asking for "help with detox" but as soon as their disability checks came out they didn't want help anymore.

In any case, have a nice baby.

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 16, 2011

They actually did a study about it, and found there was no difference.

The reason people THINK there is a difference is due to a phenomenon called "confirmation bias"

Scientific studies, however, have failed to find any significant correlation between the full moon and number of births (Kelly and Martens 1994; Martens et al.1988 ). In 1991, Benski and Gerin reported that they had analyzed birthdays of 4,256 babies born in a clinic in France and "found them equally distributed throughout the synodic (phase) lunar cycle" (Kelly, et al. 1996: 19). In 1994, Italian researchers Periti and Biagiotti reported on their study of 7,842 spontaneous deliveries over a 5-year period at a clinic in Florence. They found "no relationship between moon phase and number of spontaneous deliveries" (ibid.).