Starting a job on the 28 of this month. I will be full time in the ER 7p-7a. Never done night shift before so not really sure how to tackle this new venture. I have a 6 month old at home who a) I am exclusively breastfeeding b) will be waking up as I'm coming home.
Night shift was deemed easiest for me Bc I won't have to pump as much to keep up with her supply at home. She only wakes to nurse twice in the night as opposed to me having to pump 4xs in a normal daytime 12 hr shift. I'm not terribly worried about pumping Bc my goal is to get her to sleep through the night anyway. So eventually that two pumping will go down to one and I can manage one sesh pumping in a 12hr shift.
I realize I have to study up on circadian rhythms to get a better, personal, idea of how to eat and what to expect. I know:
Hydrate hydrate hydrate. I know lighter meals....
Just seeing if anyone new moms are out there (breastfeeding or not) who I can relate too and can pick their brain.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
That's a great question! And the main reason I'm asking for advice. The thing is I can't have her with some else in the day time, our sitter is only available the hours I work and hubby isn't home. It's not so much feeding her as it is what I'm actually going to do with her while I try to sleep. She doesn't exactly like it now when I try to catch a few extra hours and slaps me awake lol. Other times, she's very content with lying beside me cooing and exploring her legs and toes... Her schedule now is is up 7am back down for a nap at 830ish.... Her nap ranges from 1-3 hours during that time. I think I may be able to manipulate her nap to my advantage. Keeping her up with me while I eat breakfast and maybe do some house chores before I put her down in my very very dark room may leave me with a three hour stretch of sleep. Then she's up for two and half more hours before it's another 1-2hr nap... I think I can survive with that lol. Usually all I need is 4 hrs and I'm good. When hubby is home he will take over and bring her to me for feeds before he takes her again. He is 7a-7pm 3x per week as well (paramedic). I also have a 10 year old whose an awesome help.
I'm crazy huh? 😉
Do you not have any family or friends who can watch your kids, or at least your daughter while your sleep? You will need more than 4 hours of sleep because working 12+ hours will catch up to you.
My mom lives near by, and may be able to help every once in awhile. But truthfully? Not really.
I say I only need 4 Bc that's why I been surviving off of for the last year. Being pregnant caused me horrible insomnia and then having a new baby did too ! Haha. I haven't slept longer than 4 hours in 13 months. So I figured it's the same thing?
I just hope to survive. She will be a year all to soon. Until then I suppose it's taking it day by day.
I have a 4m old and I work 11p-7a. I feed and put him to bed by 8, pump around 10 before work. Try to pump once at work (usually between 2-4) but I work in a busy birthing center and I am lucky to pee during my shift so some shifts I don't pump. I pump right when I get home around 8am, I will nurse around 9 and then sleep few hours and then pump when I wake up from my nap. I have a decent supply, I've never supplemented and I keep up with his needs but I don't have a huge freezer stash or anything. You can do it, it takes a lot of extra work but it's worth it!
Having insomnia and only sleeping 4 hours because of it and only requiring 4 hours of sleep are very different!
Honestly, I worked nights when all 4 of my kids were little/ breastfeeding and the only way I survived was to never work 2 nights back to back and only work 8 hour shifts. Even then, I lived in a state of utter exhaustion all the time.
You can't bank on your child always taking long naps. Things change. Kids change. Even then, a few hours of broken sleep here and there during the day isn't going to leave you alert and functional all night.
Working nights with kids always sounds good on paper, but the reality is very different. A few hours of broken sleep on a normal schedule is not the same as a few hours of broken sleep on a night schedule. Especially with kids thrown in the mix.
You may want to rethink your plan or have a back up plan if it doesn't work out. I'm telling you this from years of experience working nights with kids.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
My mom lives near by, and may be able to help every once in awhile. But truthfully? Not really.
I say I only need 4 Bc that's why I been surviving off of for the last year. Being pregnant caused me horrible insomnia and then having a new baby did too ! Haha. I haven't slept longer than 4 hours in 13 months. So I figured it's the same thing?
I just hope to survive. She will be a year all to soon. Until then I suppose it's taking it day by day.
Don't they grow up too fast? Well I hope you find a family member or friend who can watch your daughter while you get rest. Because you will need your sleep when you come home after your long shift.
I have a 4m old and I work 11p-7a. I feed and put him to bed by 8, pump around 10 before work. Try to pump once at work (usually between 2-4) but I work in a busy birthing center and I am lucky to pee during my shift so some shifts I don't pump. I pump right when I get home around 8am, I will nurse around 9 and then sleep few hours and then pump when I wake up from my nap. I have a decent supply, I've never supplemented and I keep up with his needs but I don't have a huge freezer stash or anything. You can do it, it takes a lot of extra work but it's worth it!
Ahhhh! Thank you! Exactly a response I was hoping to read ! â¤ï¸ little advice and encouragement goes a long way! We got this!
I don't recall pumping ever being an issue. I just pumped when I was full at work and exclusively breast fed at home. The bottles I pumped at work were given at night if needed, but most of my kids slept through the night (12 hour stretches) around 8 weeks, so there wasn't a huge need.
No back up plan, night shifts it is for me. I've got no choice. I don't have a backup babysitter. I don't have that luxury. In a perfect world i would have a nanny who worked for free and let me sleep on my days off. But it's not and I've got to deal with I got. So I'm making plans, planning ahead and trying to make it work. I'm trying to set up for success. I'm finding the silver lining in that I only require a small amount of sleep to keep going and that I am a night person anyway. I'm not going to stop pumping or nursing despite how difficult it is. I'm going to make it work. Hubby is a great support. That will help.
I'm going to take the advice of not working two nights in a row. That seems realistic enough to help out. Things being hard do not scare me. This isn't my first rodeo, but that doesn't mean I'm going to know what I'm doing off hand. It will be a work in progress.
Thank you all for your advice if any other new moms made it work, please share your wisdom. Everything so far has been helpful and appreciated.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I worked nights (3 12s) with a breastfeeding infant, and did not use daycare until he was 15 months. I'm not going to lie, it was very difficult. I also did not work two nights in a row, which basically meant I was either working or recovering from work. I would honestly never recommend this approach to someone else, knowing how very taxing it was on my body and my mental health. But I also know that sometimes you have to do things that suck, and there isn't another option, and you just have to figure out a way to make it work the best you can.
Other than regular drainage of your breasts, sleep is pretty much the most important restorative to your milk supply. If you're not getting adequate sleep, it's going to be a struggle.
I'm sorry if I sound discouraging. I am NOT saying it's impossible and you are going to fail. You have a very good attitude and that's 75% of the battle right there. But I want you to go into it with eyes wide open. Don't be complaisant. You CAN make it work, but be ready to fight for it.
Thank you! You've (all) given me insight and that's most important to me, so that I CAN go into this with eyes wide open. Nights with my older two is perfect, I can sleep while they're in school, but we have a baby in the mix now and it's a whole different ball park. I am worried about my supply diminishing. I'm thinking about taking fenugreek to keep things flowing before the rivers start to run dry. Was also thinking of pumping on my off days, but if I don't have too than that is obviously ideal.
If I schedule my off days to coincide with my husband off days, then he will take the baby until it's time to nurse and then bring her to me, I can do that in my sleep, and then he can take her from there. I come home, she's had breakfast, I will nurse right before I go to sleep and that should hold her tummy off for 3 hrs before she herself is ready for a nap. So I can probably get a good 6 hr stretch with 2 nursing sessions, with the help of hubby. On my own it will be very broken through out the day, me sleeping when she sleeps.
Hydration. Protein. Caloric intake. Exercise. And most crucially, sleep.
I can do the first things, it's that whole sleep bit that I am still trying to grasp. Even now! What is this sleep you speak of ? Haha
OrganizedChaos, LVN
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Do you not have any family or friends who can watch your kids, or at least your daughter while your sleep? You will need more than 4 hours of sleep because working 12+ hours will catch up to you.