super nervous....first night shift!

ChrisnTris

I'm working my first night shift tonight, first of three in a row!  I haven't stayed up ALL night since I was 18!  I can't believe I'm starting all this at 29wks!  GREAT TIMING!!!!!!  Any advice?

starlingrose

what do you do? can you listen to upbeat music or something?

kaekee

When I was working nights last summer, the biggest thing that helped me was to stay busy.  Keeping myself occupied really helped me from thinking about the time and how late it was.  Also, it helped me to try to plan my break in the middle of my shift.  Eating dinner was a good way to get a boost of energy.  Honestly, the hardest time of the shift was around 3 or 4 AM (I was working 7p-7a).  All that being said, I was not even pregnant at the time so I'll be praying for you   Good luck!!!

LiebeMama

I'm not sure what time you start, but before a row of back to back night shifts, I always took a 2-3 hour nap. It may seem like a way too long nap, but it will get you through the shift, considering your body is trained to sleep at night, it really does help.

Also, get up out of the chair and walk around. Moving the blood through your body will help you stay awake.

If you start to feel very tired, go in the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face. Also, drink ice water too.

lissah23

Bring something crunchy to eat - I always find if I'm getting sleepy during a night shift that eating some carrots or an apple will wake me up.  The sugar in them will give you a bit of a boost and the crunch helps to keep you awake

Take lots of breaks and stretch, especially if you're sitting in front of a computer all night like I do.  Also try going for a walk on your lunch/break if you have a parking lot or something outside of your building that you feel comfortable wandering around in.  The fresh air feels good.

And eat breakfast before you go to sleep in the morning - even if you don't feel hungry, you'll sleep a lot longer/better if your belly is full (although I'm sure being pregnant you won't forget to skip a meal).

Nurse27

Night shifts aren't so bad... I am a nurse also. Just make sure you get plenty of sleep in the afternoon before and then go to bed when you get home in the morning. Try and keep yourself busy and drink some coffee. Nights are kind of fun it is just the nights that you are off that are hard to sleep like you normally would. I remember on nights I was off I would stay up until 3 or 4 am at home. It is really hard to work a night shift and then a day shift 2 days later. I hope you either just work nights or days. Good Luck!

ChrisnTris

Thank you all so much!  I'm feeling better now  

electricdoctor83

Don't dress too warm either....I have noticed when I am cold at work during the night shift it keeps me more awake.  I made the mistake of wearing a long sleeve shirt under my scrub top and then a jacket and I was SO warm and SO sleepy.  I also don't actually eat a "lunch", I just snack on small stuff the entire night. 

Melanie.Brown

Night shift isn't so bad.  I've worked 7p-7a for almost a year now and I love it!  I wasn't really a late-nighter before either.  Like PP said, I usually try to take a 3 hr nap before my first night on, and I always eat a small breakfast before I go to bed in the morning, otherwise I wake up at noon starving. 

What do you do?  I work in L&D and some nights can be pretty slow, those are the hardest nights.  I usually bring a book or a magazine, and lots of different things to snack on throughout the night.  Drink lots of water and have a cup of coffee if you get really tired.  I've been really good about no caffine during pregnancy, but some nights I just have to have a cup to make it through.