New Grad RN-Accepted Position, Just Found Out Pregnancy (High Risk)

LovingLife123 · Jun 10, 2019

2 hours ago, JennaSnow said:
Not talking myself out of the position at all, just doing my due diligence to keep myself professional and not make a bad impression. By the time my probation is over, I’ll be 7 months pregnant (I was 7 months when pre-eclampsia took over and I had an emergency section in March of last year). It is safer to air on the side of caution considering my last pregnancy was in 2018, no?
I included the tolls to imply how far the job is, considering the high risk pregnancy. But that, along with a few other things I did not mention, are reasons I placed in a “con” category for this job. Paying for tolls would be an additional bill just to get to work that I could definitely use to save for the new babies instead.
I definitely do not mind working. I still plan on finding something to do until I cannot work anymore. But being a new grad and new hire, I was not sure if starting at 3 months pregnant was a good call.

I just know we even hire pregnant people on my unit. To me, it’s not a big deal.

I said you should tell your manager. It would be dishonest not to. I also stated that if, for family reasons, you wanted the job with better hours that’s one thing. You should take it. But, if your end goal is to be a labor and delivery nurse, then pregnancy should not deter you.

adventure_rn, MSN, NP · Jun 10, 2019

I want to bring a different perspective to the table--even though sticking with orientation through your pregnancy may be feasible, will this job be feasible post-partum?

As others have mentioned, you won't be eligible for FMLA at the time you deliver. Therefore, you may have a very limited amount of time that you're allowed to be out of work before you return (i.e. 4 weeks compared to 12 weeks). That would be tough even with a regular high-risk pregnancy, but...

The twins really do complicate things further. As you know, twins are at high risk for premature delivery. It's entirely possible that you'll be required to go back to work before your babies even get out of the NICU. Even if all goes well and your kiddos make it to term without a NICU admission--having two newborns at home is incredibly tough. Having another kid on top of that is even harder. All of this will be made exponentially harder by having a shortened maternity leave.

There are new grad nurses on this site ALL. THE. TIME. who are feeling conflicted because they just had a baby and feel like they don't have enough time to also work full-time. Most of them only have a single newborn.

Even in the best-case scenario (twins carried to near-term with no NICU admission): after a month post-partum, you'll be getting very little sleep (since you'll be performing twice as many feeds/newborn cares during the night), potentially trying to pump, also caring for your other little one, and driving an hour each way to do back-to-back 12-hour shifts. That sounds like a nightmare.

Granted, there are absolutely people who have done this (many are here on AN and are vocal about their decisions). However, there are also plenty (also on AN) who attempt to do this, get in over their heads, and then quit after their kiddos are born.

Why am I saying all of this? From a career perspective, it all comes back to burning bridges at your current L&D unit. IMO, the absolute worst thing you could do would be to stick it out, spend four months on orientation in L&D, have your babies with only a month off, then realize it's too much and quit soon after attempting to return to work. In that case, the manager would have spent a ton of money to train you for four months, then get zero return on their investment. It would be very hard to un-burn that bridge.

Definitely talk to your manager. Explain your concerns and ask what your time off would look like (since you don't qualify for FMLA). Be honest about the fact that you may need to step away for now, but keep the door open for later on. In the meantime, do try to keep some kind of gainful nursing employment, especially after your kids are born. You're already 6 months out from graduation. The longer you go without a nursing job, the harder it becomes to land a new grad position.

NurseBlaq · Jun 10, 2019

I went through this, not twins, but newly hired and high risk pregnancy.

I told the employer right away. They told me I wouldn't be eligible for FMLA nor maternity leave pay but they were willing to work with me. I only took 6 weeks of leave instead of the 12 I could have taken and I worked and saved money because I knew I would be without pay for a while until I returned to work. I returned and stayed for a long time thereafter.

Will it work out for you, I don't know. However, what I suggest is inform the new employer you just found out you were pregnant with twins, it is a high risk pregnancy, and that you're very interested in the job and is there a way you can pass now and reapply or accept the position after delivery as you don't want to begin and leave later and you want to be honest with them. They will respect your honesty and may work with you or accept your declination and leave the option open for you to return post-partum.

Good luck to you.

Mergirlc, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jun 11, 2019

I just wanted to pipe in & say: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Wishes!!

turtlesRcool · Jun 11, 2019

I got pregnant in my last semester of nursing school. It was my third pregnancy, and I showed really early. I was about 33 weeks (and looked bigger) when I went on a job interview. I figured they'd find a way to not hire me (without saying anything about the pregnancy), but I wanted to make a good impression so they'd maybe interview me again when I reapplied after the baby was born. Imagine my surprise when the interviewer asked my due date, and suggested a start date 12 weeks after that!

My point is that if they want you, they may be willing to work with you. Talk to your manager, and be honest. Go ahead and tell them what you've told us - this is your dream job, and the last thing you want to do is to jeopardize your relationship with the hospital by bailing on them for medical/personal reasons. Maybe they'll be willing to work with you on deferring a start date, or just be willing to give you another interview a year from now when you reapply.

JennaSnow · Jun 11, 2019

7 minutes ago, Mergirlc said:
I just wanted to pipe in & say: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!
Best Wishes!!

Thank you!!

JennaSnow · Jun 11, 2019

16 minutes ago, turtlesRcool said:
I got pregnant in my last semester of nursing school. It was my third pregnancy, and I showed really early. I was about 33 weeks (and looked bigger) when I went on a job interview. I figured they'd find a way to not hire me (without saying anything about the pregnancy), but I wanted to make a good impression so they'd maybe interview me again when I reapplied after the baby was born. Imagine my surprise when the interviewer asked my due date, and suggested a start date 12 weeks after that!
My point is that if they want you, they may be willing to work with you. Talk to your manager, and be honest. Go ahead and tell them what you've told us - this is your dream job, and the last thing you want to do is to jeopardize your relationship with the hospital by bailing on them for medical/personal reasons. Maybe they'll be willing to work with you on deferring a start date, or just be willing to give you another interview a year from now when you reapply.

Wow that is amazing! You really nailed that interview! That would be perfect, if they could defer my start date. I really vibed with the manager and nurse educator during my interview. It was like talking to women I knew already. I’m hoping they are receptive to starting me at a later time because I’d love to work with them.

TriciaJ, RN · Jun 11, 2019

On 6/9/2019 at 2:16 PM, JennaSnow said:
Home care isn’t my first option. I’m just keeping open to other positions that I could possibly work before going on a leave.
A position I’m possibly in the running for is a Pre-Op RN at an ambulatory center that’s only 10 minutes away from me. The hours are better. No weekends or holidays. It’s close. And it can keep me in practice.

I vote for this one.

Hoosier_RN, MSN · Jun 11, 2019

23 hours ago, LovingLife123 said:
I guess I see things differently because we always have several women pregnant on my unit. There’s always a baby shower. We currently have 4 pregnant.

At every hospital that I've ever worked...we'd always laugh and wonder what was in the water on L&D ?

LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 11, 2019

I don't want to be a negative nelly, but when deciding jobs and you are very early in pregnancy, I wouldn't necessarily base decisions on the results of the pregnancy. I wouldn't wish anything to happen to your pregnancy of course, but there's a reason why a lot of people don't tell right away.

What if you started the job and then found out in a month you were pregnant, what would you have done?

hardworkpaysoff, MSN, RN · Jun 11, 2019

21 hours ago, adventure_rn said:
I want to bring a different perspective to the table--even though sticking with orientation through your pregnancy may be feasible, will this job be feasible post-partum?
As others have mentioned, you won't be eligible for FMLA at the time you deliver. Therefore, you may have a very limited amount of time that you're allowed to be out of work before you return (i.e. 4 weeks compared to 12 weeks). That would be tough even with a regular high-risk pregnancy, but...
The twins really do complicate things further. As you know, twins are at high risk for premature delivery. It's entirely possible that you'll be required to go back to work before your babies even get out of the NICU. Even if all goes well and your kiddos make it to term without a NICU admission--having two newborns at home is incredibly tough. Having another kid on top of that is even harder. All of this will be made exponentially harder by having a shortened maternity leave.
There are new grad nurses on this site ALL. THE. TIME. who are feeling conflicted because they just had a baby and feel like they don't have enough time to also work full-time. Most of them only have a single newborn.
Even in the best-case scenario (twins carried to near-term with no NICU admission): after a month post-partum, you'll be getting very little sleep (since you'll be performing twice as many feeds/newborn cares during the night), potentially trying to pump, also caring for your other little one, and driving an hour each way to do back-to-back 12-hour shifts. That sounds like a nightmare.
Granted, there are absolutely people who have done this (many are here on AN and are vocal about their decisions). However, there are also plenty (also on AN) who attempt to do this, get in over their heads, and then quit after their kiddos are born.
Why am I saying all of this? From a career perspective, it all comes back to burning bridges at your current L&D unit. IMO, the absolute worst thing you could do would be to stick it out, spend four months on orientation in L&D, have your babies with only a month off, then realize it's too much and quit soon after attempting to return to work. In that case, the manager would have spent a ton of money to train you for four months, then get zero return on their investment. It would be very hard to un-burn that bridge.
Definitely talk to your manager. Explain your concerns and ask what your time off would look like (since you don't qualify for FMLA). Be honest about the fact that you may need to step away for now, but keep the door open for later on. In the meantime, do try to keep some kind of gainful nursing employment, especially after your kids are born. You're already 6 months out from graduation. The longer you go without a nursing job, the harder it becomes to land a new grad position.

I second this advice ^. Please thank the manager for the opportunity and be candid. Keep the door open because L&D is a small world. Not sure how many hospitals or L&D positions are in your area but she may be have openings in 2020 or know another manager who does.

Some L&Ds do like new grads who they can mold but your best bet is to take a position that will work for your family while keeping your eyes on the prize.

Although not ideal could you keep a casual/per diem position after orientation? Explore options with the manager.

winniewoman9060ret · Jun 11, 2019

Talk to management. They may work with you, and it’s hard going back. I did after 9 weeks with my second child. You’re emotional, worried and all the hard work of nursing. So your 12 hour shift would be 14 hours. Where’s daycare in all of this.

I work ambulatory preop. It’s hard work too. Different always on your feet. Depends on how busy the center is. Don’t forget you may have discharge patients too.

we have a nurse pregnant with twins. She said 36 weeks they may schedule a csection. She too is high risk.so just be alert.

Take care of yourself. Congratulations ?