May 2016 Moms

Fellow working pregnant mommas.

So today I have come to realize that I am no longer physically able to keep the pace at work that I had been and prior to pregnancy. A little background.. I am a nurse for a specialty outpatient clinic and work 730-430 Monday through Friday. I have 6 doctors I room patients for and I'm constantly up and down and walking, etc. I cannot do things as fast as I used to and there's only me and one other nurse. My concern lately is she is going on vacation for almost 2 wks and the demand of my job has me worried about the stress it will put on me. Even when she is at work it's still hard on me. With that being said I want to bring this up to my boss and the doctors but don't want to seem whiny and like I'm asking for petty or that I cannot do my job. I just need to find a solution to make things easier on my body. How many of you other nurses or ladies with active jobs have this issue and do you think you will be able to continue working up to your due date? Do you have a plan or have you gone through this before?
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Re: Fellow working pregnant mommas.

  • Funny you post this because I was just thinking about it.. Also a nurse here. I am a floor nurse that works three "12" hr shifts on a acute/rehab floor. I know I have slowed down and I just struggle to get arond like I use to. Just the other day I spilled a med cup full of opened meds all over the flooor in my pts room. I was too hard to just bend down to look under the bed so I ended up on my hands and knees looking for the lost pills:(.... I am so tired of taking care of cranky pts that do not appreciate anything..
    I can't even take hardly care of myself at this point.!!!I have a long 3 or 4 months ahead of me...
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  • I feel you. Do you plan on working til your due date? @BabyL52716
  • Going to try but I just can't imagine it...
  • I feel so bad for complaining about my 3 or 3.5 hour shifts, but I have them scattered throughout the day and I spend time transitioning from a table to the floor and back countless times each shift. My back kills me after each shift and accomodations are not readily available. I'm working through one week before my due date but I really want to cut my hours as it is...
  • I work at a automotive molding plant. I work 12 hr night shifts. I definitely feel like I'm slowing down and not being able to handle what I used to. I ended up talking to my boss about it because I didn't want to put the baby at risk. In the end I was glad I did because I don't think I would be able to work as long as I want to if I didn't and HR was happy they I did because they don't want me hurt on the job
    Beautiful Baby Girl Amelia Marie
    Born May 25, 2016
    Angel Baby January 20th, 2017
    Baby #2 Due December 6th 2017
  • Yeah, I'm in this camp. I manage a bar so I'm on my feet moving kegs and boxes throughout the day. Fortunately most of my shifts are only six hours, but I work a double on Saturday which is KILLING me by hour ten. My asked my doc for a prescription for compression tights and they are AMAZING. I actually feel great other than that, but noticed in the past week that its getting harder to bend over and schlep wine boxes around with my belly getting bigger. My days are numbered.

    I'll be moving into a more administrative role as I get bigger, which I'm not really looking forward to, so I'm definitely going to keep rocking my normal shifts as long as I feel comfortable with them and my doc gives me the ok.
  • I'm an ultrasound tech at a huge hospital and we do portable ultrasounds all day long. I do 10 hour shifts and on one of my days off I work at a doctors office. I am definately moving slower nowadays than i used to. I would love to leave work before my due date but then I would get less time at home with baby. I feel your pain and if you can do it I would leave earlier than your due date and rest up before baby comes.
  • I feel your pain! I am a weekend program nurse..so I work 12 hours on Sat and Sundays on a very busy high acuity tele floor...by Sunday night at 6pm..my feet are crying!  I just bought compression stockings so hopefully they help.  I am much slower..it takes me time to get down the hallway when a bed alarm.  I have really begun to ask for help with rolling patients because I can no longer do it by myself but all our techs and other nurses have really been helpful.  Nursing is a second career for me and although this is my third baby it is my first baby as a nurse! I am not sure how in the world I will make it to 38-40 weeks working on the floor!
  • Another nurse here! I will frequently "forget" that I am pregnant and do something stupid like not use proper body mechanics or lift something way too heavy and then wonder why I can't move when I get home. I am not working on a floor (God Bless you!) but the school is not as easy as it is made out to be, especially when I am the sole nurse for 2 buildings and have to literally run up and down the hill in the icy snow. I will unload supplies and get down on the ground to help my littles, or even scoop up a kindergarten student who fell off the monkey bars and landed just wrong. I think knowing your body and being clear about your personal limits is so important. I have reached out to other staff (guidance counselors, trusted teachers, our secretary) to help if there is something I feel I cannot do. I know our janitor was pissed I didn't let him help me move our giant standiometer when we were doing BMI screening! So ask for help.

    Also, don't forget that you can talk with your OB about any accommodations that may need to be made at work. I have written many staff 504 plans for pregnant teachers and support staff who find they need an extra break period, no recess duty, or a longer lunch etc. As long as you have a doctor's note to support it, you are allowed to have certain adjustments and accommodations in the workplace. If you feel uncomfortable talking with the other nurses or MDs about it, maybe check in with your HR department. Make it clear that you want to continue working, but just need some extra supports. You would be shocked to hear some of the things that MDs have ordered for working adults to be included in 504 accommodation plans. Taking extra precautions for a pregnant nurse should be a no-brainer!


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  • 1mae20161mae2016 member
    edited January 2016
    Well, I don't currently work in the health care field yet, but I am a full time pharmacy tech student and work part time at a Montessori School as well as baby sit whenever I can to make money. I've realized that chasing after 14 kids and having to carry and hold some absolutely exhausts me, as well as having to keep up with home work and remembering what days I go where to babysit. I'm 23 weeks and put in my 2 week notice at work yesterday. I don't get a lot of hours and it's making everything else in life harder, especially with their complete lack of benefits. Luckily SO is very supportive of my decision and we can afford for me not to work. Personally, I feel that if you can afford it and your benefits of working don't outweigh your risks than you and baby come first. Do what you have to do to make sure that you are taken care of and feeling your best.

    Editided because the bump app and Android phones don't get along.
  • Yes I hear you, I'm a pastry chef which means I work 2 shifts that are 16 hours and 3 single shifts that are 8 hours and I'm really struggling recently. I usually finish at 12 in the evening and start early too. I'm on my feet all day in a boiling hot kitchen always on the move with high stress levels at busy times :( I was really hoping to work as long as possible but I don't think I will be able to do much longer than another two months and then I'm out. I used to love my job but I've realised recently that my level of giving a shit is down to nothing and I'm so cranky with everyone, they must think I'm a right bitch but I don't care!!
  • There is some really good advice here about speaking with your boss and HR I will also tell you that having your doctor write a note indicating that you be put on light duty is also really helpful!! And can go a long way to back you up :)
  • @newbysweet I go into bitch mode too sometimes but no longer care. I plan to work until the end of April if I can... I'm due May 16th. I want to save as much of my leave as possible for when the baby is here but at this point I don't think I'll make it until my due date. If I could afford to stop working all together I would... but that is not an option for us :(
  • So I planned to speak with my boss today but he just got some bad news about his wife (she is very ill) and he has been crying today! So today is a no go and tomorrow he is out... so I may try to talk with another supervisor and get his input but he never really puts anything into action.
  • I work in the insurance biz... I am a corporate trainer and starting next week I will have 2 1/2 month class where I am teaching for 8 hours a day, M-F, until mid-April. I'm a little worried because I am already very uncomfortable ... I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping so I'm very tired throughout the day, my feet are swollen and they usually begin to ache by the late morning. My job is exhausting before pregnancy because you basically have to have your "on switch" on all day long - and I use to come home SO tired and with no motivation to do anything. I am so worried about how I'm going to feel at 7 and 8 months pregnant!! 

    My **plan** was to work up to delivery pretty much, but because I'm so uncomfortable already and not even at 6 months yet, I have a feeling I'm going to take at least a week before my due date, but honestly I wish I could take so much more and just relax for awhile before baby boy gets here!! 
  • Sole charge Radiographer here, and thank god not a busy hospital. I have also noticed that its getting harder to do some things, and am having to get pts to do more than I used to. at this point I'm going to work up till 2 weeks before due date, but the locum radiographer (anyone want to come work in NZ for 5 months???) will start 2 weeks before that, thank goodness.
    Angel baby June 2013, DD born 22 April 2014, BFP 10 Sept 2015 - Due 22 May 2016
  • I'm in the same boat. I'm used to lifting 50-100 pound items and work 5 to six days a week no less than ten hours a shift. Two of those days are 12-14 hours alone. I really want to work up until my due date, and even though I'm not lifting the heavier items any more I still move the 25-50 pound items and I find that climbing the ladders and getting in and out of different sized vehicles is becoming more and more of a challenge the bigger I get. I've talked to my boss about it and he helps when he can, but on the days it's just me it becomes a problem that will only get worse. I'm actually looking for a different job and I can take a pay cut if need be because SO finally got a huge promotion that will more than make up any difference, but not many places want to hire a pregnant woman. Also, I have 10 weeks paid maternity here plus 4 weeks vacation I can take with it. So I was hoping to stick it out because I don't think I will find another job that will allow or even offer me that. Idk what I'm going to do. It's a hard decision.
  • kp90 said:

    @newbysweet I go into bitch mode too sometimes but no longer care. I plan to work until the end of April if I can... I'm due May 16th. I want to save as much of my leave as possible for when the baby is here but at this point I don't think I'll make it until my due date. If I could afford to stop working all together I would... but that is not an option for us :(


    Yes I originally wanted to work until my due date but I just can't. I'm planning to leave end of March and I'm due 26th of May. If your not in the uk I think it works differently. I get 6 weeks of 90% of my pay and then £140 a week for 33 weeks so I will already have a lot of time with her before I go back to work, it's just a big money drop each month that I don't work :( good luck talking to your supervisor or boss, update us on any news.
  • I feel your pain completely! I'm working in the shipping and receiving unit of a hardware for the past 8 months and it's litterally my job to unload 1000 items from a transport truck... My job has me pretty much crying by the end of every shift. My doctor wants me out of work at 28 weeks ... And I'm totally not ready to give up the money. But it's physically EXHAUSTING and I'm going to end up hurting myself :/
  • kbrands7kbrands7 member
    edited January 2016
    I'd definitely take measures to be sure that you have support with your physical workload. When my mom worked an intensive care unit as a nurse while pregnant with my brother, she started her leave at 36w, when she had my sister and me (twin pregnancy), she stopped working at 32w and was put on bedrest.

    I'm a teacher, so I'm on my feet all day or most of the day (especially this spring semester since I have baby freshman who need constant managing). Last pregnancy, I worked until 39w (had DS at 39+1) and I won't lie, the last 2-3 weeks were fairly miserable. This time, I have the same plan-- unless I feel truly awful-- because I don't want to take on additional unpaid leave time, especially before this baby is here.
  • I'm an occupational therapist at a rehab hospital and thankfully I've just had to watch my body mechanics and position myself to ensure I don't get hurt. I have started to ask my PT partner to stand by if I'm going to try something crazy with my 300# and over patients.

    I also have given up on climbing two fleights of stairs more than about 5 times a day. I was a stairs only person prior.

    Just take brakes as needed. We need our nurses! One of my co-workers is going to have to do some of her fmla prior to birth and work strange combo days. They should be flexible as you can do intermittent fmla(if you are in America of course).
  • IMO and experience with my first child I would talk to your doctor about your concerns and come up with a plan with your doctor. The reason I say this is bc they have to adhere to what a doctor's orders are and you're more likely to be more credible with the backing of your doctor.
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  • I work  two 20 hour positions where one of my primary tasks is shelving books.  It has definitely gotten harder to get down to the lower shelves and back up.  There were a couple days where I had been shelving a lot and was pretty sore from it, so I brought it up to my supervisors... the one at the public school library was fairly sympathetic, as was my morning coworker.  Morning coworker even offered to primarily shelve the low-shelf books, which was very nice, and would be even nicer if she actually did it.

    The public library supervisor on the other hand basically said "Well, this is the job, we've already been very accommodating with all your morning sickness, and I already don't know what we're going to do when you're out on maternity leave at the start of summer reading program."  Really not the response I was hoping for! 
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  • I'm an occupational therapist at a rehab hospital and thankfully I've just had to watch my body mechanics and position myself to ensure I don't get hurt. I have started to ask my PT partner to stand by if I'm going to try something crazy with my 300# and over patients. I also have given up on climbing two fleights of stairs more than about 5 times a day. I was a stairs only person prior. Just take brakes as needed. We need our nurses! One of my co-workers is going to have to do some of her fmla prior to birth and work strange combo days. They should be flexible as you can do intermittent fmla(if you are in America of course).

    I'm going to fill out and turn in my FMLA within the next week or so just because I want it approved prior to me having to take any early, unplanned leave due to the way I feel, etc. I'll speak with my doctor next Monday and see what he recommends. I may just take off a week or so prior to my due date with the fmla and use the rest when baby arrives. But again... this is all depending on how I feel and how long my body allows me to work I suppose!
  • Yep, I just put in my resignation yesterday evening at work, my last day will be Feb. 3. The baby and I can no longer hang with flow
  • I feel so lucky! I'm a teacher and I get 60 days unpaid leave "after the birth of a baby". I'm due on May 9th, so HR was able to do some adjustments and allow me 49 days off spread out so I can start my leave on April 11th and not come back until September. I'm definitely beginning to be uncomfortable and I can't imagine what it's going to be like to be even bigger!
  • My tax season hours start this
    week so I am going to be working 8-7 and Saturdays until April 30th... worried about managing the stress as well as the exhaustion that accompanies a non pregnant tax
    season!
  • I also have a medical field job where I am on my feet from 8:30A-6P- starting at my next appt I will be taking off everyday that I have appts. Which will start being every other Wednesday then soon every Wednesday. Having just that one day off in the middle of the week will hopefully help me get extra rest and also not be too tired by the end of the week. 
  • Although my job is not as physically taxing as some mentioned here (I work in HR for the city of New York) I wake up at 6am Monday through Friday, am out of the house by 7am, and have to deal with the NYC subways which are a complete nightmare! Besides the million stairs I have to climb, the awful smells on the train, and the fact that it's at least 80 degrees on these trains everyday, people in general are just so damn obnoxious! I am 27 weeks and one would have to be blind in order to not notice I am pregnant- however, people still continue to sit on me, run past me practically knocking me down to get a seat and never offer up their seats. It's disgusting really how rude people are. I am due May 1, and I plan to work as long as I could because the city does not offer paid leave- you can only utilize the saved vacation time you currently have and then you're on your own- but the commute is what's really kicking my ass and I don't know if I will be comfortable traveling on the subway at 9 months! Lol
  • I have a desk job, but even still, I find myself going slower than I used to.  Add in busy season when I'm expected to pull 35+ extra hours each pay period and no days off in the past month, and it's no wonder I'm moving at a snail's pace.

    I'm expecting baby to arrive in early May and am planning to work up until the time I go to the hospital. I'm currently 26 weeks and will likely ask my boss to start lightening my workload slowly at around 32 weeks.
  • nbgmomnbgmom member
    edited February 2016
    Night nurse in high risk L&D. I plan to work up til delivery (or the week I'm due) so I can take my whole 12 weeks home with baby. With my first 2 I worked in the ER and worked until 38 weeks and 39 weeks respectively. 

    ETA My girls were born at 40w0d and 40w2d
  • Anyone else feeling unprofessional in their third trimester? I teach an hour away from my home/birth center, and with appointments, parent conferences, and other school events I feel like I'm not very present at work. It's starting to make me feel like I'm unprofessional. I know I work hard, but I'm used to being the totally at work kinda gal, and having to get subs and take PTO to have 15 minute appointments is getting on my nerves.
  • @jomunson I understand the difficulty. I used to do a lot of after-school things, but have had to rearrange which extra responsibilities I take on. Luckily, I can get most of my appointments after work, but this struggle doesn't really go away once you have the baby (though the number of actual appointments goes down). It's a really difficult balance at times.
  • Ugh, just got off the phone with DH telling him how I just can't wait to be on mat leave and stay home to cuddle with my baby! I'm a child psychologist working in private practice, so my schedule is whatever I make it to be. However, I crammed the next two months so I could take a full 6 months off (unpaid). And now I think the third tri fatigue is coming to get me (I'm now 27 weeks, so it's a little early, but still). I'm actually thinking of a cat nap in my office before my next client gets here...
  • I also have a desk job and have felt like I've been slowing down lately. I can't imagine if I had to be on my feet all day like all you PPs, I'm seriously impressed with you. My issue is that travel is a part of my job; I visit our satellite offices about twice a month and I'm not sure I'm comfortable doing that all the way up until maternity leave but I'm also not sure how to broach it with my boss without seeming like I'm slacking off.
  • I work as a supervisor/training to be an assistant manager at Starbucks. I work opening shifts, typically 4am-12:30pm. I wake up around 3 every morning and then work on my feet nonstop for my whole shift. I do my best to take my breaks but when we're busy (I work at the fastest drive through in my district) I have to sacrifice my lunches and breaks. It's been really physically taxing! I can definitely feel myself slowing down which is so frustrating. I'm so excited for my maternity leave because I'm tired of feeling so sore/exhausted every day after work! 
  • I'm in awe of you ladies and am ashamed I've felt so tired.  I don't have an ACTIVE job - unless walking around the building while searching for errant customers or employees to kick their butt counts ;-) - I'm a manager of an IT PMO; I work ~50 hours a week at a desk.  I've definitely noticed I've slowed down - I can't walk over to the other side of the building or downstairs for a meeting without getting out of breath, I'm crankier when my employees mess up, and I come home and just want to crawl in bed.  I can't imagine if I was on my feet for those 10 hours! 

    Because my job isn't active, I do plan to work all the way up to the end, and I spoke with my boss early on and he told me if I get put on bed rest or am just too uncomfortable near the end to work from home so I am very very fortunate.  Makes up for the no paid maternity leave, ineligible for short term disability, and crappy timing with being due a month after the "use it or lose it" PTO cut off.
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  • So far the biggest thing to affect my work performance is the pregnancy brain. I test software for a living so I don't have to be very active, but I have trouble remembering things I saw and how to reproduce them, so I find myself having to record my screen actions and write down everything I am doing because my short-term memory is shot.

    Last week I set up a complicated test to run over the weekend so that I could check the results on Monday, and when Monday rolled around I couldn't remember the login credentials for the test user I created. 
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