Pregnancy Work Woes

[Barbie8808]

"Its in the water" I'm sure everybody has heard this phrase. For those who haven't it usually means in the workplace (for me the hospital) when one person gets pregnant it spreads like wild fire. This go around I have been spared the pregnancy bug, however my cohorts have not. Now here's the issue, although nurses are pregnant, patient acuity does not change. Patients still need to be bathe, fed, walk to the bathroom,or wound dressing change. Recently at work I was working with a nurse whose fairly early in her pregnancy who refuse to change the patient because the smell was too overwhelming.(Bad yeast under stomach folds) Later on that night she refuse to help transfer that same patient to MRI stretcher. (Patient was bariatric).Throughout the night I was wondering at what point is enough's ENOUGH??. How can we accommodate pregnancy woes. I haven't been pregnant in over seven years but when I was I wasn't spared my duties as a CNA. I still changed diapers. I still helped with stinky trach care, I still pulled and push heavy patients. I was expected to to do my job should I expect the nurse to do hers??

[AlphaM]

This thread really helps me understand as a male the unique challenges out females counterparts have to deal with in their practice. I have nothing for respect and admiration for you all.

[Barbie8808]

When I was preganant some of the burdern was taken off of me once I was further along me(Im talking waddle phase). Sometimes I did have to stand up for myself with patients receiving chemo or diagnosed with a form of infectious disease that would harm to the baby. But the person in question is fairly early in her ppregnancy. She isnt showing, so I'm wondering to what extent would her helping me with a patient cause any distress to her or the baby?

[T-Bird78]

Early on in mine I couldn't get up or down from the floor without holding onto something (sitting on my knees to standing up I had to use the edge of the counter to get back up) because it pulled my abdominal muscles and I was very sore. The zofran pump didn't help with that either, but I started doing that before the pump was necessary. If her OB advised her against heavy lifting or bending then she needs a note from him. I had to get a note from my OB to allow me to carry a bottle of water with me to try and stay hydrated.

[jdub6]

To the poster who mentioned being on intermittent fmla due to hyperemesis and unable to handle one specific task at work (T-Bird78)(quote function does not work on my phone sorry!): the BIG difference here is you went through proper channels, were in treatment with an MD and filed for FMLA once you realized you would not be able to work at times. That is very different than showing up daily and getting paid but refusing multiple essential job functions due to pregnancy.

And as many others have said, I think it's reasonable to make certain allowances: trading the potential tb/shingles pt on airborne precautions for the sickler who calls frequently for meds and needs blood. That kind of thing. The extent to which this happens largely depends on the pregnant co-workers history of teamwork and their attitude and willingness to accept alternate assignments or perform tasks for you if you help them. I have seen pregnant staff who arrive willing to work, and in these cases myself and my colleagues were happy to trade tasks or pts to keep them safe while ensuring everyone pitches in to get things done. Different but equal, so to speak. I have also seen staff who use their pregnancy as an excuse to sit at the desk reading magazines. This is not okay. My earlier post on this thread was mostly addressing that situation as that seems to be what the OP is experiencing.

I have never seen this happen, but, if for some reason your floor just can't accommodate pregnancy limitations (I don't know, maybe you work on an infectious disease or bariatric unit and there just isn't any "light" work to do to make up for everyone else pulling extra weight (literally), then I still believe that the pregnant employee needs to go on official, md-endorsed light duty and either transfer to a different setting if possible or go out of work if not. I would think this would be very rare. But it is the same as someone with, say, severe back problems: if they can't perform the essential function of their job, and no light duty is available, they cannot work for that employer until they recover.