Working In Night Shifts During Pregnancy – Is It Harmful?

In today’s competitive world where everyone is focusing on their career, of course, women are not behind. Thus, balancing work life while being pregnant is undoubtedly a challenge for every woman. It is the same with night shift and pregnancy as much as it is with day shifts. As work-life is equally important as family life, one of the most pertinent questions that arise in this context is: Is working night shifts during pregnancy harmful? Well, the answer to this question is that as long as you are conscious and careful, nothing is detrimental! This is just the crux. To get a more detailed answer to this question, we recommend continuing with the following post.

Can Pregnant Women Work in Night Shifts?

Managing work life while pregnant can indeed be a challenge, and working night shifts can, unfortunately, be unavoidable sometimes. It is difficult for pregnant women to work night shifts, the main reason being lack of sleep. A woman needs a lot of rest when pregnant, and therefore, working night shifts can be harmful during this time.

Possible Health Risks of Working in the Night Shift While Pregnant

Is there a link between night shift and pregnancy risk? Below are some health problems that can be developed as a result of working the night shift.

1. Lack of Sufficient Sleep

Working the night shift can throw your sleep cycle out of sync, and you may end up getting less sleep than expected. This can affect your immune system which is already lowered due to the pregnancy. Also, studies have shown that poor quality of sleep can lead to issues like babies with low birth weight.

2. Change in Cardiac Rhythms

The heartbeat tends to slow down when one is asleep, following the usual discipline of the body. According to the CDC, lack of proper sleep hinders the body’s circadian rhythm, which is essential to maintaining hormones, especially during pregnancy (1). Therefore, working night shifts leads to a change in cardiac rhythms in the body.

3. Stress and Anxiety Attacks

Working for long hours, especially during the night shifts, can trigger anxiety attacks and stress in pregnant women. This affects the health of the foetus and can increase the chances of preterm delivery.

4. Miscarriages and Premature Birth

Johns Hopkins and many studies have often shown that women who work for long periods, especially on night shifts, are at higher risk of suffering premature delivery of the baby and, in worse cases, even gestational diabetes and miscarriages (2) (3) (4).

Precautions to Take While Working Night Shifts

• Make sure that you don’t stress yourself at work in any way as that is harmful to your baby. Prioritising or organising things might help you deal with things better (5).
• Avoid standing for an extended period, as an uncomfortable position might exert pressure on the foetus
• (6).
• Keep your gynaecologist’s phone number handy, lest an emergency may crop up.
• Pregnancy itself can lead to vision problems, therefore avoid too much of work on laptops, computers, etc. as they stress your eyes even more.
• Avoid exposure to excessive light or too dim light, as it is known to cause stress in the eyes.
• Make sure your sitting posture is comfortable. Sitting in an uncomfortable position while pregnant can exert pressure on the foetus.
• Keep your work light so that you don’t exhaust yourself as that adds to your weakness during pregnancy.
• Never starve yourself. Keep some healthy food, such as fresh fruits, to munch on when hungry.
• Do not bend down if you are in an advanced stage. If your work demands so, ask your colleagues for help. Stooping down or bending down is not good for the baby as it exerts a lot of pressure on your belly.
• Do not indulge in a heated discussion. Try to stay calm as much as possible, as excessive stress is not suitable for your health during this time.
• Try not to lift too much weight as it can lead to premature birth or low birth weight of the foetus (6).
• Drinking coffee during the night shift may be a great way to drive away sleep. However, studies have shown that consumption of excess caffeine can lead to miscarriages or low birth weight in babies (7).

Tips to Remember for a Healthy Pregnancy

• A good 8-9 hours’ sleep is essential during pregnancy. So, even if you are working for night shifts, make sure you catch up with the rest your body needs at other times of the day.
• Try to carry some healthy food to work so that you don’t have to depend on outside food when you are hungry. This would preferably be fresh fruits, cereals, etc., that are fit for eating during pregnancy.
• If you feel sick or uncomfortable for some reason, do not hesitate to share it with your colleagues immediately. You might also call your family for that matter. Whatever is the problem, do not neglect it.

Professions That Affect Health While Pregnant

There are certain professions that may require you to work night shifts, affecting your pregnancy:

• Healthcare professionals on night duty, like doctors and nurses
• Customer care service at international call centres
• Pilots and flight attendants
• Software engineers

FAQs

1. Is working 12-hour night shifts safe during pregnancy?

Research shows that working night shifts during pregnancy in the first, second and third trimesters can raise the chances of having high blood pressure during pregnancy, needing vacuum or forceps delivery, and having babies with low birth weight (small for gestational age) (8).

2. If pregnant women work night shifts, what accommodation or work benefits should they get?

Pregnant women in their workspace should get easy access to clean restroom facilities, appropriate breaks, a clean and sanitised workspace, and pantry access.

3. Is it advised to work night shifts for high-risk pregnant women?

Pregnant women carrying high-risk pregnancies are generally advised to avoid heavy and stressful work, and this includes working the night shift while pregnant, as well, as it can imbalance their circadian rhythm and hormonal balance, potentially increasing the risk for mothers and fetuses.

4. What is the ideal to go on maternity leave during pregnancy?

There is no defined time period for maternity leave as it can depend upon the type of work, the commute it takes to go to work, finances, and comfort (9). However, 34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy are considered ideal for stopping work.

The relation between pregnancy and working night shifts is not a balanced one. So, even if you can’t avoid night shifts entirely during pregnancy, make sure you take good care of yourself and your baby. Try to keep people informed about your problem and don’t hesitate to seek their help if required. Be a little alert and stay safe.

References/Resources:

1. Work Schedule – Reproductive Health; CDC; https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/repro/workschedule.html

2. Get a Good Night’s Sleep During Pregnancy; Johns Hopkins; https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/staying-healthy-during-pregnancy/get-a-good-nights-sleep-during-pregnancy

3. Gooley. J. J, Mohapatra. L, et al.; The role of sleep duration and sleep disordered breathing in gestational diabetes mellitus; Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms, ScienceDirect; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451994417300263?via%3Dihub, January 2018

4. Reichner. C. A; Insomnia and sleep deficiency in pregnancy; Obstet Med.; PubMed; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27512475/; December 2015

5. Will stress during pregnancy affect my baby?; NIH; https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/preconceptioncare/conditioninfo/stress

6. Physical Job Demands– Reproductive Health; CDC; https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/repro/physicaldemands.html

7. Jafari. A, Naghshi. S, et al.; Relationship between maternal caffeine and coffee intake and pregnancy loss: A grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation-assessed, dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies; Front Nutr.; PubMed Central; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9396037/; August 2022

8. Suzumori. N, et al.; Effects of long working hours and shift work during pregnancy on obstetric and perinatal outcomes: A large prospective cohort study—Japan Environment and Children’s Study; Birth Issues in Perinatal Care; Wiley Library; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/birt.12463; October 2019

9. Working during pregnancy; Pregnancy Baby and Birth; https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/working-during-pregnancy

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Working while Pregnant
Household Work during Pregnancy
Prolonged Standing in Pregnancy