8hr vs 12hr shift & family

[sdbowen]

I currently work on an inpatient cardiac tele floor for 3 - 12hr nights. I was just offered a position in the OR to scrub/circulate and would move to 8hr day/eve 5 days a week with one week of eves, one weekend on call and holidays off for the most part. My husband and I want to start a family soon and I'm torn because I think I would enjoy the OR job a lot more (the workload on my unit now can be rough and patients are very needy and stress out the staff). And I would be available most eves and weekends when friends/family want to get together, which doesn't work out a lot now while on midnights. However, I've been told working 5 8's vs 3 12's is less desirable for those with infants/young children. Not to mention daycare costs would be higher. Any experiences or thoughts on the various shifts and having young children would be helpful! :)