work question...

Halo79RN

I feel like I keep coming back to the question stay parttime nights or go full time days.  I work 2 nights a week and while I'm home a lot.. I feel exhausted all the time and do not sleep well at night anymore... I have been unable to lose more weight (just plateaued) since starting this night shift position a year ago.  I work two twelve hour shifts a week... with commute time and the time spent over (any other nurse knows it's rarely only 12hrs) I'm gone from about 6pm to 8:30am. I try to work mainly weekends.  but do work some day shifts at the expense of more sleep time so that we have a weekend a month as a family.  My dd is in parttime preschool . Ds "could" start in the spring semester.. but really probably will start in the Fall.  So we would have to look into child care options... so I've been looking.. some evening 12 spot may be opening soon.. which is an option.. it would be 13 twelves every 4 wks... or there is a home visiting nurse position that would be with pregnant and new moms in lower income areas. the pay is similar (well, a little more with the evening shift, but not much more). basically I would schedule my visits... still full time hours though.  Now, neither is for sure.. it's just flying through my head at the moment...

 

would you do the full time days or just tell yourself to suck it up a little longer until both kids are in school full time???  

 

 

brightning

I guess it kind of depends on how exhausted you are.

I'd probably stay with your current situation, but maybe try to find some way to get a little bit more sleep. (My DH works overnight 1/3 of the year, so I totally understand what sleep deprivation can do to a person. It messes with everything!)

SueandSteve

I'm an ex-NICU nurse and left nursing before I had my DD.  I now work FT days 8a-4p and my DD is in daycare FT.  Before that I worked straight nights, 3 12s and it was TOUGH.  It was a really hard decision to make but I decided a happy and well-rested mom was better than an exhausted and angry mom.  I also had put on weight and was starting to feel a bit burnt out.  I took a pay cut to work for a biotech company and have since regained my nursing salary plus MUCH more.  It's a definite tough decision to make.  You have to determine if you're OK with the whole daycare idea, ya know?  I hope that helps from one person's perspective (and another nurses)

Halo79RN

thank you both for the opinions.  I am okay with day care.. or preschool and after school sitters. whichever works best.  (dd's preschool is open less hours, 6 for ft then another hour of afterschool care, but is on dh's campus and we get 1/2 off... but it doesn't cover summers).  I am getting more and more unhappy.  I used to be a great sahm... and did a ton with the kids... now I'm just so tired all the time. the kids have been watching more tv... or playing on their own more.  makes me sad even more.  oh the decisions. Guess I will apply for day jobs and go from there....

 

thanks much!