Back to Work help

It looks like I will be going back to work in the next month. We were not planning on that but DH's work has greatly declined this year from last year, he is hoping it will pick back up but until then we have to pay the bills.... I am an experienced nurse and will be looking for a job at the local hospital; 12 hr shifts...not sure if I will be working days or nights. The only positions in OB where I have worked for the past 7 years are nights.

We are hoping that it will work out for DH to work around my schedule so we do not have to send the babies & 3 year old to daycare. Or, we may try to get a young lady we met to babysit for us 2-3 days a week.

The milk I pumped early on in the freezer is soapy tasting even though I scalded it I do have a good Medela pump so I will be pumping what I can but know that we will have to start using some formula fairly quickly. DD is very sensitive to dairy products so I figure she will have to be on soy. Not sure if we should just put DS on soy formula too to make it easier or try using up the free regular formula I got on him.

Working nights is hard on me as I need my sleep but going back to work in Med/Surg which I haven't done for 7.5 years just so I can work days doesn't sound too appealing either!

Any tips/suggestions for a working mom of twins? They are 4.5 months old now...

Sorry if this is a bit rambling; just trying to get this all figured out.....

Misty

 

You know, if I had the choice I would probably do nights. How many feeds do they do a night? I think you could more easily night wean or use less formula if you did nights. It would be h*ll on you, but then no daycare, either.

 

Is she sensitive to dairy, as in, would something like Gentlease work? Or is she allergic to dairy and only soy would work? I think there were some connections between estrogen and soy, but I'm not 100%. My two were on the same formula (Gentlease - partially "digested" dairy based) even though only one needed the sensitive stomach stuff. I could have saved money, but it would have been way more frustrating to try to keep it straight.

Good luck getting things worked out. My husband and I worked opposite shifts and we had a sitter come for 2-4 hours a day. If you do 12 hour shifts, you're doing the 36 hour thingy? So it's only 3 days? Cool.

 

I don't know for sure about the whole dairy thing. I just know that she spits up and screams when I have milk, cheese, etc. I have cut all dairy out except for a tiny bit on occasion (butter on potato, etc) I haven't used any formula since I was working with DD #2 and had to supplement with formula so I don't know much about it. So, Gentlease is not soy but some sort of pre-digested dairy formula? I think I may have a sample of it up in the cabinet.

Yes, it would be 3 shifts a week. 7p-7a if I did nights. The problem is I have to sleep before I go to work and after I get home so I am exhausted all the time and it uses up 2 days....so I am home but need to sleep and I have to have some sleep or I am horrid!

Sometimes they only do one feeding at night but this week it has been about 3 at least!

If all I had was the babies; I think nights would work out fine....I could come home feed them and sleep until they needed to eat again and then nap when they napped but that won't work with having my other kids at home.

 

I'm also a nurse and work nights. I would talk to your ped about which formula and start a trial now while you are home. Take the night shift and hire a sitter for the days you need to sleep. I tend to only sleep a few hours after my shift if I don't go back that night. Being a new mom of twins, it makes sense to work in the are with which you are familiar. Med surg would be like starting all over again! GL!