I haven't posted in a while because I like to put up pics with my posts but since all it seems like I do lately is work, I decided I'd just have to bore you with my words.
It is 4:52 a.m. right now. I am working my 4th night shift IN A ROW. Why on earth would I do this to myself? (I have been asking myself that same question every night) It is a temporary thing. In just two short weeks I will only be working PRN at the NICU job and spending time with my kids while Reid is in school.
For those of you who have never worked a night shift, let me explain to you why 4 in a row is such a big deal.
The first night you work, you're a little sleepy but with a little help from caffeine you can make it through and recover pretty quickly if you don't have to come back the next night.
The second night is a little rocky but not too bad because you usually have slept the whole day before (but you never feel rested). When it's over it is very difficult to drive home and I usually crash into bed without washing my face or brushing my teeth, (gross I know).
The third night was a new experience for me. First of all, I have absolutely no recollection of driving home yesterday morning. I had about a twenty minute drive and I literally do not know how I got home. (Note to self: DO NOT drive at 7:30 a.m. if it can be avoided) Studies have proven that driving drowsy is worse than driving drunk. I think I sleep-drove. Then I got home and was hallucinating. It was really weird. I felt like I was having an out of body experience. I proceeded to sleep all day again, and woke up feeling like I could have slept all night too.
And that brings me to now. Night #4 almost over. I have never felt this level of fatigue in my life, and that is pretty scary seeing as I have peoples lives in my hands. I am officially on auto pilot/survival mode. Somehow my brain is still able to make my body work, but I have no idea how.
I am doing this because money is scarce around our house right now. This world is just too expensive to live in. For example, my electric bill was almost $300 for a three bedroom apartment! Crazy! But I am grateful that I have a job I can go to and pick up extra shifts if I need the money, because there are so many people who don't have that luxury.
Oh and did I tell you that Reid has been home entertaining two very sick kids by himself for the past three days AND unpacking all of our stuff since we moved to a smaller apartment AND cleaning the old apartment while I sleep AND making me dinner?
We are a team. And a damn good one at that.
Monday, August 1, 2011
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5 comments:
what a nice hub! I am feeling your pain about the night shifts....I remember I would do six in a row no problem...ask me to do them now, i would tell you no! i remember Linda B asking for a 7th...is she crazy?? hang in there...you are truly a trooper. miss and love ya! xoxo.....i have 12 weeks left!! yay...i am so done being fat!
darn it, things will get better! You do make a good team!
You are awesome. I have never done 4 in a row, and honestly I can't imagine how I would feel. Sounds super hard. I am glad it is over for you now. As a side note, I can't believe how blonde Aiva is. She is so cute.
Reid is a super hero.
I remember when Cori was doing night shifts last year. It was so hard on him. I started to wonder about how he could be so tired after sleeping all day long, and I finally realized that it's because our bodies aren't made to be nocturnal, to be up all night goes against nature, and it's hard to function like a normal person when you go against nature. But it is also necessary sometimes.
It's been a few days since you wrote this, so I hope you've since been able to recover. :)
Be careful! No more sleep-driving! I hope by now things have calmed down a bit. I talked about you to my YW today. One of them is going into nursing and I bragged about my friend who is a NICU nurse and works at the Mayo. Way to be ambitious! Hang in there and no more 4 nighters! :)
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