anyone working night shift?

i am seriously considering working night shift full time, to make more money (i work part-time now) and so that we won't have to worry about MIL (she's getting older and is ill) taking care of DS 4X a month, which is what she is doing now.

i'm apprehensive about how this will affect my relationship with DH (we won't see each other much during the week, but will have every other weekend off together) and of course, how it will play out with taking care of DS. (when i'm dead tired from the night before and having to take care of him during the day)

anyone working nights or, a completely different schedule than youd DH/DW?

is it working out for you?

tia!

Re: anyone working night shift?

I work 9-5 full time & DH works mignights - 8 am 5 days a week and his days off each work are different. We work it out. It is good in that he has time with DS by himself until I come home & we can all eat together. The bad thing is that at night I am by myself.

Re: anyone working night shift?

Our situation is different - DH is away most weeks all week so I'm on my own all week. It's hard, especially at night doing everything with no help. In your possible situation, what time would you go to work? Would your DH have to do all the night-time routine (dinner, bath, bed) by himself? That gets tough sometimes. And I would think taking care of DS all day & working all night would be EXTREMELY hard. When would you be able to sleep?

Good luck with your decision!

Re: anyone working night shift?

I work 9-6 dh work 12-7 six days a week has a differnet day off everyweek it works for us right noe

Re: anyone working night shift?

thanks girls for answering...

Re: anyone working night shift?

Posted by SuzyQ

Our situation is different - DH is away most weeks all week so I'm on my own all week. It's hard, especially at night doing everything with no help. In your possible situation, what time would you go to work? Would your DH have to do all the night-time routine (dinner, bath, bed) by himself? That gets tough sometimes. And I would think taking care of DS all day & working all night would be EXTREMELY hard. When would you be able to sleep?

Good luck with your decision!

Message edited 4/25/2008 3:47:44 PM.

Re: anyone working night shift?

Posted by orchid24

Posted by SuzyQ

Our situation is different - DH is away most weeks all week so I'm on my own all week. It's hard, especially at night doing everything with no help. In your possible situation, what time would you go to work? Would your DH have to do all the night-time routine (dinner, bath, bed) by himself? That gets tough sometimes. And I would think taking care of DS all day & working all night would be EXTREMELY hard. When would you be able to sleep?

Good luck with your decision!

my biggest concern to is the effects it will have on my body. will i be a walking zombie? i've only had 7-3 or 3-11 jobs before.

i was thinking, i would work 11 pm -7 am. get home and stay up for a few hours. nap with DS at around 11 am - 2 pm. DH would get home around 7 pm. sleep again until 10 pm. okay, this does look crazy. but it would only be 3-5 days a week. maybe i should do .8 (8 days per pay period, which is per two weeks)

who needs sleep, right?

Re: anyone working night shift?

My cousin does this. SHe has someone watch the children when she first gets home to get some sleep. It's REALLY hard.She said she just always feel off. But the proce differential is so good, its worth it for her. She just does it 2 nights a weeks though, so its just 2 days of daycare.

Re: anyone working night shift?

i think that's what i'll do... i am gonna propose this to my managers. hopefully we can come up with something... me working part-time is not cutting it with the inflation of gas and other commodities. and of course, my shopping tendencies...

Re: anyone working night shift?

I had some friends that worked opposite shifts so they didn't have to pay for childcare for 2 kids. Honestly, it was really hard on them since the dad took care of the kids all day while he was sleep deprived. I know I can't function without sleep and I know I couldn't work all night and take care of kids all day. That nap time would end up turning into getting the house cleaned, etc. while the little one is sleeping.

Re: anyone working night shift?

OMG!!!! Please talk to me more! DH and I live on LI without family or help. We work our schedules around one another to take care of DS. Every weekend I work overnights (Fri and Sat). Let me tell you, I get NO sleep from Friday morning til Sunday afternoon. And that's only working 2 overnights per week. Working that schedule full-time could be very difficult.

You'd think it's great that your child sleeps through the night, not so much when you're working the entire time. Just ask the girls on here, I have had posts on Saturdays just begging them to keep me from going insane and having them pray DS goes down for a nap. You say your child naps for 3 hours per day, God Bless you!!! But what happens when they are sick?

I have an idea. If you want to do it, try it for a week or two. While you are home, stay up all night. (And I don't mean until 4am, or nodding off here or there. Really stay up!) Then take your nap when your child naps. Then stay up more and wait for DH to get home to 'nap' again. If you can function, then you rock! What do you do if you want another child?

I fully understand what it's like to need money. Any chance to do overnights part-time and your other schedule part-time? That's what I do and that's hard enough. Feel free to ask me any questions. I have so much to say that I can't type fast enough. Yes, I'm at work.

Re: anyone working night shift?

Hi,

Full-time night shift worker here. I know how you feel b/c I too HAVE to work FT or we can't pay our mortgage.

I work 3 x 12hrs. It is really the only way it would work with even a bit of sanity for us. I used to work M-F 9-5 and I chose to change jobs and take this schedule so we could have a family. I really just didn't want to put my DC into daycare FT. Nothing against people who do it, but I've really always wanted to be a SAHM but I know that is not in the cards for me, at least not right now, so this is the closest solution we've come up with. I work Thurs, Fri & Sat nights. I am home with DD Sun - Thurs.

As far as how it works out for us, I am on a "regular, daytime" schedule all week. So, I get up in the morning on Thursday with DD as usual. I nap that day when she does. If I get done with dinner and everything early sometimes I'll lie down again for an hour or so before I go to work once DH is home. I go to work around 9pm and I am then up until the following morning when I come home at 9am. That night is often very hard for me because I'm basically up for about 27 hours, with just a 2-3 hour nap during the afternoon. DD does go to daycare on Fridays so that I can sleep and while DH is at work. I get up before DH and DD get home and we have dinner together, then I go to work again 9-9. I sleep during the day on Sat while DH or SIL watches DD. Again we have dinner and everything together Sat night then I go to work again 9-9. I come home on Sun morning, have breakfast, go to church, sometimes do some kind of activity with DD then I nap when she does. Then I go to bed early (9-10) Sunday night and then am back on a regular daytime schedule with DD until Thurs. when it starts again.

As far as getting through the nights, as long as I have work to do and people to talk to, it usually isn't that difficult. But most weeks, when it is time to come to work again, I swear this is the worst shift EVER and I curse DH for not making enough $$ so that I can stay home with DD. But then I get here, and get into the groove and I am just fine. I really think that since I do have to work FT that this is the best compromise for us right now. It allows me to be home with DD 5 days a week. People often ask me if I'll go back to days when DD goes to school. I often think that I will, but then I think about wanting to be class-mother, going on field trips, etc and I don't know if I'd be able to do all those things if I worked FT days. My aunt is a nurse who has worked nights (weekends like me) for 19 years, since she had her first child and it worked for them, for the same reasons I've given here.

I think the suggestion of trying to stay up all night is good, if you're going to stay busy and have people to talk to all night. Also, make sure all the lights are on and the music is on. If you're going to just sit home all night, alone, and watch TV, you'll never make it!! But if you're busy, you'll be able to stay awake.

As far as what you're thinking of doing, I think it will be VERY difficult to have just a couple of hours of broken sleep here and there every day. You really need to have at least 6 hours of good sleep in order to function. Is there any way you could get a 3-day schedule, maybe like what I have and then just put DS into daycare, or with your MIL for a day or 2? Can you work nights when you know DH will be home the next day so you can sleep?

I know this is really long, and I know I have alot more to say about this. If you want to FM me you can. I'll even give you my # if you want to call me to talk more about it if you'd like.

Message edited 4/27/2008 3:22:31 AM.