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.
Re: Anyone work night shift?
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
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?