Pregnancy and work hours

Specialties Operating Room

Published

Just wondering if anyone's OR unit has specific guidelines for work hours for pregnant nurses. I am currently 28 weeks pregnant and work full-time in the OR. I am required to take mandatory late days, which lasts as long as they need you there (one of my last late shifts was 16 hrs long), and 24 hr call. I'm not trying to sound like a cry baby, but we all know a busy OR is physically demanding. My back, feet and hips hurt so bad and after a 16 hr day or 24 hrs on call, the last thing I want to do is go home, catch a few hrs of sleep and do it all over again the next day. Between the mandatory late days and call, it usually totals up to 8 or 9 days a month.

Another option is FMLA or intermittent FMLA. As a manager it bothers me when staff abuse this but I'm pretty sure pregnancy would be covered in that but it requires physician paperwork. Do what's best for you and your baby. You are the only one looking out for #1.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!! I just had a baby boy in December, I worked up until a month before due date and went into afib on my last night and was admitted!! Anyhoo, we are okay but everyone was so understanding when I was huge. Didn't let me move pts, assist with kicking pts waking up, lift heavy instruments, no c-arm, and no bone cement. We are a 9 OR level 2 trauma center. There is always plenty of staff so there is no reason a preggo should do a c-arm case etc. You have to advocate for yourself and unborn child. They put you in a bad room without thinking, many times I had to remind them please no radiation. I don't care that we have lead, I still don't trust it. I don't care if someone got ****** off, they aren't growing a human.

I worked a lot of call in the beginning, but it got too hard waddling around. We are never expected to work past our shift, except call that we sign up for.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

No, sorry. Still no sympathy for the preggos. ;) Most of us have been there at one time or another and pulled our weight. Pregnancy is a choice in most cases. if you can't do the work, you don't belong there. No special treatment in my OR, which is how it should be. No room for Princesses in this environment.

Again, if you are having complications, that's one thing. But many, many women before you have been pregnant and done their jobs in the OR with zero restrictions. There's nothing special about being pregnant, people give birth every day. That's harsh to say, but true. Maybe to you and your family, it's special and that's fine. That's how it should be. But, your uterus shouldn't negatively impact your coworkers. And when peoples assignments get changed, or they have to work more call because of you, that's not right.

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Specializes in Operating Room.
Using the argument "you knew it when you took the job" applies only so far, and likening pregnancy to various diseases doesn't hold water. Pregnancy is a life event, not a disease. There are two lives affected and protective policies benefit not just the pregnant woman but the employer. From a purely economic point of view, it is in neither the employee or employer's best interests for the pregnant person to experience complications from the environment of the OR. Exhausted pregnant workers are more likely to take disability, use sick time, and terminate emploment. None of which is free for the employer. There are also valid and real liabilities for the employing institution. Imagine a day in court where a lawyer can prove fetal harm due to Xray and bone cement? You do not want me on that jury. Add to that is the inconvenient reality, oft discounted by employers but certainly germane to their bottom line, the expense of training and growing a productive OR nurse. It takes a year to bring an OR nurse to function. Optimal productivity is estimated at 3-5 years and rises from there. Losing an otherwise productive employee because of a nine month window of decreased (arguable) productivity is stupid. Finally, NURSES ought to know better and take better care of one another.
Everyone is replaceable. And they make special maternity lead that works very well. And sure, it would be great if the OR could be a place where we could all bond with each other and be all huggy-kissy but we all know that we have a job to do and all it takes it one lazy person to throw a monkey wrench into things. The ones that cry the most about wanting to be coddled often don't give the same consideration to others. It wouldn't surprise me to see the OP here in a couple years insisting that she shouldn't have to do holidays, because she has kids. Seen it happen way too many times.
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Bitter much?

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Specializes in APRN, ACNP-BC, CNOR, RNFA.

I would much rather do a total to get a pregnant nurse out, rather than hear the excuses of the "too cute princesses" who complain about heavy equipment and hard cases, AND THEY'RE NOT PREGNANT. It's all about the culture of your OR, and if you can't have a teeny tiny bit of empathy for someone you know and work with, then the culture in your OR sucks!

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I've been there as a scrub in the OR being pregnant. It's tough, I stayed out of totals with bone cement. One fine day I walked out of a total hemorrhaging and was taken off of work from the high demand of my job. It was at 28 weeks. If you don't look out for yourself, as you can see by the various answers on this forum, no one else will. It's unfortunate that nurses have such little compassion for their own.

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Specializes in OR.

I was 30 weeks pregnant when I was put on bedrest by my perinatologist and OB. My son always measured small and was diagnosed with a growth restriction. My perinatologist knew I worked 40-60 hour weeks in the OR and said there was a recent study that looked at women OB/GYN residents who were also pregnant. This study showed that these residents babies birthweight were much lower than the general population due to their constant standing and activity in the OR and hospital floors. I thought that was very interesting.

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Specializes in med-surg, OR.

I was pregnant in the OR, scrub & circulating. I had to go on restrictions at work via doctors note at 32 weeks, so that I could last another 3 weeks before going off work a month before baby was due (I expected the job to get more tough, in pregnancy). It's not that I didn't want to work my room (which I would rather be doing, then stuck with paperwork) I developed complications from the job. With the extra weight and wearing lead, it became extremely painful to scrub. My OR was very accommodating, and I appreciate that. It makes me want to stay there for the long hull.

I don't think think people should be getting automatic "special treatment." But we should protect our workers, if they require temporary modifications due to pregnancy or any other health issues.

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I know this a couple of months old, but it has been very insightful. I am 24 and have been married 3.5 years. I have been considering becoming a surgical tech or possibly a nurse (I am really interested in surgery) but unfortunately I am just starting my journey (Pre-reqs) and my biggest fear is being pregnant as a new scrub tech or nurse...learning a brand new, physically demanding job, with people who don't know me and may or may not be compassionate. We have fertility issues and my husband is several years older than me, so we don't really have time to waste.

Sorry I'm rambling! I'm thankful for this post, it has been eye opening. Maybe with our fertility issues it would be best to stay where I am until AFTER pregnancy...at a cushy M-F job that gives full benefits. I'll get to the OR someday..

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I was 30 weeks pregnant when I was put on bedrest by my perinatologist and OB. My son always measured small and was diagnosed with a growth restriction. My perinatologist knew I worked 40-60 hour weeks in the OR and said there was a recent study that looked at women OB/GYN residents who were also pregnant. This study showed that these residents babies birthweight were much lower than the general population due to their constant standing and activity in the OR and hospital floors. I thought that was very interesting.

That's a very interesting study! I'm the OP and went into labor at work at 37 wks and 6 days and my baby was 5lbs 9 oz. My first child was 7 lbs 7 oz. I know each pregnancy is different and each baby is unique, but I do find what you posted as interesting.

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I know this a couple of months old, but it has been very insightful. I am 24 and have been married 3.5 years. I have been considering becoming a surgical tech or possibly a nurse (I am really interested in surgery) but unfortunately I am just starting my journey (Pre-reqs) and my biggest fear is being pregnant as a new scrub tech or nurse...learning a brand new, physically demanding job, with people who don't know me and may or may not be compassionate. We have fertility issues and my husband is several years older than me, so we don't really have time to waste.

Sorry I'm rambling! I'm thankful for this post, it has been eye opening. Maybe with our fertility issues it would be best to stay where I am until AFTER pregnancy...at a cushy M-F job that gives full benefits. I'll get to the OR someday..

Catman, I'm the OP for this thread. Let me just tell you that I worked up until I went into labor. Seriously, it was 0650 and I was getting ready to bring a patient back and I went into labor. I must admit that many of my coworkers were compassionate as were many of the surgeons, but Managment not so much.

For those with not an ounce of compassion, like gadget, go figure!!!! It's no wonder some women hate the nursing profession. The most compassionate nurses are the ones I admire and who seem to be the most well rounded and respected by their cohorts and patients. The ones who could give a crap less of their fellow coworkers speak volumes to me as I can only imagine how much you care, or lack thereof, for your patients. For instance, the most crab apple of a nurse i know rolled her eyes at me when she asked how much maternity leave I would be taking and I told her 12 weeks. This is the same crab apple who months prior admitted that best thing she did was take an absence of work to spend time with her children. Pfffftttt! So what's good for her is not good for me apparently and it's that kind of behavior and logic that I cannot stand. May those with no compassion never find themselves in any circumstance other than the epitome of perfect health because it will be a wake up call.

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