Baby & shift work

[merito]

Hi All,

Need your advice. My job requires me to work shifts, which i enjoy tremendously due to longer sleeping hours and more money. I am also not a morning person and I fall sick quite easily when doing normal 9am-6pm hours due to insufficient rest. However, I am expecting and due next June/July. Is it better for a working mother to work normal hours (which I can probably request for), or it really doesn't matter? Should I just continue doing shifts cos I enjoy it, or I should keep to normal working hours like Most people?

 

[cuclainne]

it's what you feel is best for you ..

 

[blingbride]

Maybe you could try out your shift routine for a couple of months after baby is born and see how it works with you and the newborn.. It really differs according to individuals' lifestyles, habits, convenience, etc.

Some newborns tend to keep awake all night, causing the parents to stay awake taking care of them, resulting in lack of sleep and tiredness. It may also be best to be around the baby at the critical times, as such, your rotating shifts might cause you some discomfort.. imagine your baby needing you just as you leave for work and you gotta be torn between staying by his/her side and leaving for work.. but of cos, the early critical months would soon be over and you may find your shifts working best for you..

Either way, it's difficult for us to advice as this is very personal. My advice for you would be to try continuing your shift routine for sometime and see how far you and the newborn adapt to it. Should you face issues, you may consider normal hours and see which works best for you.. Anyway, you're still months away from your delivery so dont pressurize yourself with too much worries.. Take things as they come. For now, rest and relax and enjoy motherhood! Take good care..

 

[violac]

i don't understand how working from 9am-6pm can result in insufficient rest? it's a conscious choice to decide to go to bed early if you think you need more sleep...

anyway when your baby comes out, whether you work shift or not, you will get insufficient rest hahaha

young babies are generally comfortable with routine (especially when they grow out of the newborn stage, 3 months onwards). if i were you, i'll shelf shift work schedule until baby is older and more settled (maybe 8-12 months).

it doesn't have to be permanently one way or the other, it's just a matter of timing and a little bit of sacrifice.