Having a career is tremendously important in life for both financial and emotional stability. However, so is having children for most women. It is often argued that motherhood is one of the important jobs in the world, although women often wear multiple “hats” for their family, friends, and co-workers. Women do many jobs but are usually only paid for one. 

A factor that many times complicate a career, pregnancy, is especially stressful with a job such as nursing. For any female nursing who is even considering getting pregnant, I’m sure they are thinking “How am I going to do this?” It may seem impossible, but they are other nurses and even doctors who can manage both. It takes a lot of time and effort but you can achieve both if you have a plan. 

Whether you plan on becoming pregnant yourself, or a fellow nurse or a friend is planning on it, this information will give you a better idea of how to prepare yourself. 

Morning Sickness

According to the American Pregnancy Association, “more than 50% of pregnant women experience morning sickness”. For most women, this starts around the sixth week and continues to the twelfth week. Meaning, many weeks of nausea and even vomiting at work. However, as a nurse, you are often exposed to smelly bodily fluids, which may trigger your own morning sickness. An easy solution would be to wear a surgical mask, it may look silly but it will block out the upsetting smells that could set off your morning sickness. And allow you to perform your job with more ease. 

Tips for managing morning sickness:

• Ginger tea or powder capsules can prevent or reduce nausea. 
• Eat saltine crackers before starting your day. Don’t avoid eating entirely. 
• Nap when you can, if you are able to take rest breaks. 
• Stay hydrated to avoid feeling dizzy. Don’t wait until you are extremely thirsty. 

Gestational Diabetes

Elevated blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes during pregnancy, but I’m sure many of you know that. Women who didn’t have diabetes before becoming pregnant are able to develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. It is surprisingly more common than people think with up to 10% of pregnant women developing it. According to the Mayo Clinic, “gestational diabetes usually develops during the last half of pregnancy — sometimes as early as the 20th week, but generally not until later.” At this point in your pregnancy, you should be past the morning sickness, which might help you notice the excessive hunger and thirst. 

Symptoms of gestational diabetes:

• Wanting to eat more than normal. 
• Urinating more often.
• Feel excessively thirsty. 

Don’t Run To A Patient

Even if a patient is in distress, don’t run but walk instead. Running to your patient will only make you disoriented whether you are pregnant or not. Also, most hospitals are making rules that prevent doctors or nurses from running. This can only cause harm if the medical professional trips or falls, even if it gets you to the patient a minute faster. If you are very far from your patient in need, communicate with another medical professional, that is one of the benefits of technology. 

Go To Your Appointments

As a nurse who works in a hospital, it should be even easier to make all your necessary OBGYN appointments. Although this can also make you neglect it or push it off as it is in the building after all. However, getting all necessary checkups and blood work is so important to monitor the health of you and your baby, as well as diagnosing any potential health concerns for the baby early. 

Take Care Of Yourself

Even though you are trained to always put a priority on the needs of others, you have to be aware of your own health. A good way to keep track of your symptoms without taking too much time out of your day is by using pregnancy-related smartphone apps or even writing in a small notebook. You may not notice certain symptoms until you see the page after page in front of you. Other ways to take care of yourself if you can afford it are massages, getting your nails done, or reading a book. Anything that puts your mind at ease when you are not working.