Night shifts

[Blak]

Hi there, I am currently 14 +3 and I’m working a string of 3 night shifts starting tonight, it’s started a lot of worry in my mind as to if it is healthy to be doing nights during pregnancy. I have a very hard working and stressful job. Is there anyone else out there that could help me and has done nights whilst pregnant

Hi, I did quite a lot of night shifts while pregnant first and second time round. I'm a nurse in a busy, physically demanding unit.
I don't enjoy them anyway but found it a lot more tiring than usual and towards the end much more difficult to sleep during the day.
I'm pretty sure (depending on what you do) you can actually discuss and opt out of nights while pregnant.
Hope this helps.

Am also a nurse who worked nights through 2 pregnancies. Night shifts are unhealthy anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some evidence that it isn't healthy to work nights when pregnant, but there is probably no real way of knowing if any problems you might have are related to working nights or if they would have happened anyway. I assume you don't have a choice about working nights? So it's probably best not to worry too much about something you can't control or change. If you do have the choice of working other shifts instead or you have particular health problems with your pregnancy, you could try asking your employer for a pregnancy risk assessment and discuss changing shift pattern.

Thanks for your help, I haven’t even had my pregnancy risk assessment done at work and they’ve none for a while, I am trying to get away from the nights but finding it difficult to do so as it stands, do you know if there’s a risk to baby if you do night shifts or am I just overthinking

May I add that I had an early miscarriage last year so my head is doing over time with everything I do

Worked in ED permanent nights when I was pregnant and I was fine. Your boss should of done a risk assessment with you regarding your pregnancy. Just use your common sense OP. Congratulations!

@EsmeSwan just out of interest what hours was your night shifts

I'm an Obstetrician and worked night shifts until 36 weeks. I was so huge I had to climb up onto the operating table to be able to reach in far enough to deliver babies at Caesarean section. There is no clear evidence that shift work or nights has a negative impact on the pregnancy, which is a shame as it's bloody hard work to battle through! Everyone is different though and if you are struggling at any point in your pregnancy with the nights then don't be shy about standing up for yourself and trying to change to a more manageable working pattern. Good luck!!

I worked 12 hour permanent nights on both of my pregnancies (not nursing, it was an IT position).
I didn't find it bad working nights but the switch back to days when I was off was the most difficult.
I found when the baby was here that I had no problem getting up at night when he woke up so maybe it stood for me in the end!

I worked 12 hour night shifts during all my pregnancies, what makes you think they are not healthy whilst PG?

Study in Copenhagen showed increased risk of miscarriage due to reduced malatonin.
Did wonder if it was related to the short days as well and decreased natural light.
Don’t think this study as been replicated though, so may be an isolated finding.
Speak to your manager.
I had staff give me doctors letters excusing them from nights while pregnant.
Those same staff chose to do permanent nights now as it suits their child care needs.

You would be supported by HR if you asked to come off nights while pregnant. There is research to demonstrate that night shift workers are at a higher risk of premature labour, miscarriage and stillbirth. I worked nights until 32 weeks pregnant and then had a scan which showed abnormal placental dopplers and small growth, so was advised to stop working shifts. Placental blood flow normalised within two weeks of stopping work and growth had caught up within a month.

Plenty of shift workers have uncomplicated pregnancies, but I do think knowledge of potential complications secondary to night shift work should be better known. These three shifts aren’t going to be detrimental, but if it is on your mind a lot and you mainly do nights then maybe have a word with your manager/HR?

I’m going to speak to my manager when I can, hopefully they can take me off the night shifts, I just worry because of what happened to me before although it was nothing to do with night shifts I just want to do everything right for this baby, maybe I’m just overthinking everything but I think I’m best off without doing the nights

@SauvignonBlanche I’ve read a little bit into nights shifts whilst pregnant and I think I’ve scared myself a little bit by doing so, I struggle with nights at the best of times, so being pregnant and doing nights I’m struggling even more