Pregnant Nurse

Magsulfate, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2009

It is normal to get sick in your first trimester ,,, specially when you smell things... This is all normal. It is also normal to be tired in your first trimester.

Working night shift is not helping you one bit.

I'm not sure what to tell you, other than try to get on day shift,, and don't work any over time. Unless you can get a dayshift position, or a completely different job with no bad smells.. then you might just have to put up with it for a while.

It will go away eventually,, and it is a good idea that everyone knows that you're pregnant. You don't want them to see your symptoms and think you're using drugs.

:) Congratulations

chicookie, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2009

Congrats!

Maybe you can try carrying some crackers in your pockets, you know the ones with peanut butter or cheese in them, and munch on them in between rooms.

That is what I do. For entirely different reasons.........

swirlygirl · Apr 6, 2009

First, I want to say congratulations!!!

Next, I just want to warn you about who you tell about your lifting restrictions and any other restrictions you might have. I also had lifting restrictions during my first pregnancy due to a low placenta and my manager was fine with it, but I had to give a doctor's note to employee health and HR. I very suddenly found myself out of a job for 9 months. My manager liked me enough to hold my job for me the entire time, but at the facility that I work at, that's their policy and it's kept so "hush-hush" that my nurse manager who worked there for 15 years had no idea of this policy. I look back now (3 years later) and I'm grateful for the break, but at the time, it was extremely stressful. Emotionally and financially. Take care of yourself and good luck!!

Saifudin · Apr 6, 2009

From the male perspective I understand it is a really difficult time for you! I have to preface that with empathy cuz I'll never know how it feels, although I went through it with four of my own and my wife was sick throughout her pregnancies.

As a nursing manager, it can be really tough. I work in Saudi and most of my female staff (only 40) are young Saudi woman. I have 3 or 4 on maternity leave at the present but during their last trimesters, especially the 'final hours' they were absent far more than they worked and when on duty were not very productive. It really creates serious staffing issues especially with a limited number of female staff. (One female psych unit and males do not work on it). Maternity leave is very generous here but sick leave is far to easy to abuse.

I quipped that pregnancy is 'not a fate worse than death' but I am sure that would appear callous and perhaps sexist. Sure, I'd like all my female nurses to work to the very last moment, maybe up to 2 or 3 centimeters than race like heck to deliver but I do not carry a whip during rounds and feed my staff stale bread so the much more gentler me understands (to a point) and our female staff who are not pregnant, to their credit, work hard to cover difficult duties left by those 'with child'.

Really, may God make it easy for all my female colleagues. Working, parenting, taking care of home, a husband and all the other things you must do is no easy task!!

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2009

Hey congrats. I was worried when I was earlier in my pregnancy about morning/all day sickness, I was fortunate not to get any morning/all day sickness. I agree about the eating every few hours can be difficult, but take a fiber bar, granola bar or something you can stick in your pocket so that you can eat it quick while sitting and charting. I have had to start to wear a mask with some patients when helping clean them up. Keep well hydrated too by drinking lots of water (I know run to the bathroom 20x a day already), or juices, or whatever you like and can keep down.

You mentioned low progesterone, did your doc put you on supplements? I had to take IM injections until 12 weeks. I was never put on any lifting restrictions. I do agree that you should be careful who you tell. My coworkers have put me on lifting restrictions and wont let me help them with large patients.

Take your breaks too. Make sure you are eating enough.

I hope the rest of your pregnancy is easy and you feel great. The morning sickness and fatigue will get better. The fatigue will start to ease up in the second trimester.

Congrats again.

firstyearstudent · Apr 6, 2009

I did not have any serious problems in the first trimester, but now that I'm in the 3rd I'm hurting! I work 3 12s, during the day, so I try to schedule one day at a time so I can have a break (i.e., work every other day). My unit is friendly but no one is picking up my slack. The asignments they give me are hard. In fact, I work in heme/onc and am not allowed to give chemo (a policy which I DON'T agree with) so I end up getting whatever is left and they are often very, very sick patients. I am working harder now than when I wasn't pregnant!

I am also using a maternity support and changed my footwork to crocs, both of which help with sciatica. I have gestational diabetes and have to run to the lounge to eat or take my blood sugar every 3 hours, but I just wolf it down and don't take a real lunch, so it doesn't take any significant time. I am completely miserable and I don't understand how I am going to be able to pump breastmilk when I return from maternity leave. It's hard enough to find the 3-4 minutes I need to eat with the diabetes, much less the 10-15 minutes it will take me to pump.

So many people told me what a great job nursing is if you have kids. What were they talking about? You can't call in sick (my husband does every time the kids have to stay home because of illness), I leave before they wake up the days I work and they are in bed when I get home, I don't have time at work to make a personal call (like to set up a dental appointment for this kids, etc., etc.).

I am tired and irritable now and I've still got two months to go.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2009

Congratulations on the wee one to be!! You must be thrilled to bits!

As a "guy" and as just a "regular staff nurse", I really have no advice.

I'd just like to add something I do, as a co-worker around some of my pregnant co-workers (be they nurses, CNAs, secretaries etc.) Some might call me a "MCP"... but:

* I like to 'keep an eye' on my pregnant co-workers. Making sure they drink enough water (if I have to come around q 1-2 hours and force them to drink so be it ) and get bathroom breaks is just the start...

Goodness knows we get crazy busy enough as it is! I can't imagine being crazy busy and running around with no time to pee or drink water... I can't contemplate what it would be like to do the same whilst also pregnant!

* If there is ever a 'potential situation' with a patient [i work in the ED and we deal with a lot of violent folks, infectious disease etc.]; I volunteer to take the patient assignment rather than have it assigned to my pregnant partner (who is working the same pod as I).

My rationale is not that my partner is "weak" or "can't hack it" - rather that "she has enough stress to deal with as it is" and "why expose her and the child to something than can be avoided?"

We all pull together and cover for each other.

It's what nurses do :)

cheers,

mama_d, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2009

Congrats!

The beginning and the very end seem to be the worst in general for the tiredness. I worked nights up until one week before I delivered with both of mine. I cut back on the caffeine while off of work and indulged while I was at work...the lowered tolerance meant that it worked better with less. My gyn was not very happy about it when I told her that coffee was going to continue to be consumed, then she got pregnant when I was around eight weeks and changed her tune a few weeks later.

I would hope that the staff you work with will be supportive of whatever restrictions you have. I know that once I started showing (at around three months, he was a big baby from the get go!) I was often pushed to the side even when the patients weighed ninety pounds soaking wet. It's all about the teamwork :)

I had problems drawing blood when I was pregnant. I had no issues with the actual sticking, but watching the tubes fill up turned my stomach. Even on line draws. It went away as soon as I was back from maternity leave. Funny the things that'll make you nauseous when you're expecting.

Bizyfe · Apr 6, 2009

And I also add Congrats! Just another different piece of advice. Instead of crackers, etc., keep Jolly Rancher candies in your pocket. Their sugar gets into you fast, the flavor is strong enough to handle some odors, and they might give you the 5-10 minutes you need to finish what you are doing and actually eat some substantial food, like the granola bar, etc. Worked for me through 2 pregnancies.

kjcheno · Apr 7, 2009

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement and advice. It already seems like such a big hill to climb and such a hard profession to be pregnant in. Not to mention I've been super emotional lately which compounds my work worries.In response to one comment I was doing a google search on some law that it is LEGAL to fire/suspend a pregnant nurse because she could not meet job requirements such as lifting! I think that is horrible! Also I never thought about the pumping issue. Nursing is so hard because you have to be available to your patients at the drop of a hat its not like you are in an office setting that you can sneak away for 5 minutes and be OK. I think I have supportive co-workers but I've never really tested them like this. I'm not sure I will get much support from my charge nurses as far as assignments Like I said before I am hoping that this just the first trimester and and that it will ease up soon. I go to my OB/GYN tomorrow AM so maybe she will have some advice for me too.

What I do know is that there is not a lot written that I can find on this topic- maybe I have a book idea! lol