Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months

Anyone work night shift?

I also posted on working moms board, but no responses yet, thought I'd try here!

 I am a nurse at a hospital, I currently work 12 hr day shift (7A-7P). DH works construction 7-330 few days a week (work is slow). I applied for a position in a different area and the day shift position has been filled, but she offered me the chance for a 12 night shift spot (7P-7A). I worked night shift for 6 years before DD, and remember it taking quite the toll on my body. While the 12 hr days are hard, I love not having to flip/flop my sleep cycle. However this position would pay almost $10/hr more....that would bring us an extra $1300/mo.

Do any of you work nights and how do you make your schedule work? It's a lot harder trying to figure out sleep schedules when you have a toddler and another on the way.

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Re: Anyone work night shift?

  • I work 12 hour shifts. I alternate between days and nights. 6-6. It's hard but I don't have a problem schedule wise. I get to hang out with DS before I go to work. Dh does the night time routine and wakes up with him in the morning. I do errands and stuff in the afternoon then pick up DS from daycare, hang out with him, then Dh takes over and I head out to work. The hardest thing is finding time for Dh and I to spend together.
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  • I am also a nurse and I work 12 hour night shifts.  I'm not going to tell you that it's easy.  As you can see it's almost 2 in the morning, I am off and I am still awake.  I usually get at least 1-2 hours sleep before Jack wakes up in the morning and then I am up with him till he goes down for his nap.  When he naps, I nap.  It's tough on the days when he doesn't take a good nap, but I've just learned to deal with it.  My Mom watches my son on the nights that my husband also works nights so she comes over around 5 in the evening before I go to work and then watches him until I wake up the next afternoon.  I play with him for a little while and then she feeds him dinner while I go get ready for work.

    Night shift does take a toll on the body and it's definitely more noticeable now that I have a little one.  It's no longer possible to sleep whenever I feel like I need to or for how long I need to.  I've developed acid reflux and tend to have a shorter temper these days (with my husband and mother, not my son), but this is the schedule that works for our family.  I don't know how much this info helps, but I wish you the best.  Nursing is an exhausting profession no matter what shift you work :) 

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  • I use to work night shift but no more. It becomes pretty hectic. It takes a lot of time for your body clock to adjust to the normal day timings.
  • Granted I have never worked night, but for $1300 extra a month, I would greatly consider it. How many days a week would it be?

    Also if your husband is supporting you it will be a lot easier. Will he be watching your DD on his days off?

    I worked 2nd shift for a while before DD and while I was pregnant, and I hated it just for the fact that I never saw DH because he worked 1st shift. At least with 3rd shift you would sleep while he was working and you would have the evenings together. Would there be a chance that with some seniority you could move to 1st shift?

  • I work two 12 hour night shifts as a per diem RN, which is great because I can completely pick my schedule. I currently (well, when not on mat leave) work Sunday night and Monday night. I have DH to watch her on Sunday afternoon when I take a nap before work, then she goes to daycare Mondays and Tuesdays so I can sleep. Tuesdays after my shift I only sleep until like one in the afternoon so I can be back on a normal sleep schedule the rest of the week. It's really hard to basically just stay up all night for those shifts without adjusting my sleep cycles like I did prior to having kids, but it is so worth it. I work a 0.6 and get paid as much as full time day shifters. I basically get to be a stay at home mom too and I love that. Good luck!
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