Pregnant Staff in the ER

Hello all!

I am writing this post because there are three women among the emergency department staff that have apparently drank the water...and are now pregnant! We are all so excited for them, but it raises some interesting questions and concerns.

They are all far enough along that its been public for quite some time, but they all decided to reveal their pregnancies to us at different times in their first trimesters.

Nurse A was forced to tell us all when she was about 6 weeks pregnant, which is much earlier than anyone normally wants to reveal their pregnancy to their co-workers. We were unfortunately faced with several patients during one shift that she could not take care of due to pregnancy and she was forced to inform us of her early pregnancy much earlier than she intended, I'm sure.

Nurse B was forced to tell us after suffering from severe morning sickness and dizzy spells around her 10th week of pregnancy. She was having to take extended breaks and couldn't take care of our particularly smelly patients.

Nurse C felt as if she needed to tell us about her 8th week of pregnancy due to the problems that nurses A and B had been faced with and wanted us to know in advance.

Each nurse was pregnant for the first time and felt a considerable amount of apprehension in revealing to us their pregnancies. They all said that they were worried we would be upset because it could possibly mean more work for us or it would mean that we would have to take care of less desirable patients. They were also worried we would feel as if they were trying to "take the easy way out."

Of course, no one in the department felt that way at all.  We were all very excited and had no problem helping out when we were needed. That's what a team does, and the emergency department is a team.

Most of these women would have preferred to wait until at least the beginning of their second trimesters, but they all decided in the end that it was better that the staff know beforehand to help serve as extra protection between their babies and our patients.

Additionally,  I think it all really strengthened our bond as a staff. We now had a reason to protect and look after one another, a real tangible reason. Every single nurse fell into line, helping wherever they could. Its been awesome, I hope we can always have a pregnant woman or two on staff!! 

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