I have been a night NICU nurse off and on for the last 3 years. Currently I am working nights, meaning I work from 6:30 pm to 7am the next morning. I think it's hard for the day working world to totally grasp this life unless you've experienced it. I think there is everything stacking up AGAINST working the night shift compared to the alternative. It is difficult to sleep during the day, it's difficult staying up all night, your temperature shifts at certain hours, your food usually doesn't digest well, it's extremely hard not to gain weight, most night shift workers have health issues, your first day off really isn't a day off because of the fatigue, you can't sleep well during the night on your nights off, etc. I could go on and on. BUT... there is a comfort doing the work I do in the middle of the night. There is a calmness and serenity being with a patient without all the hustle and bustle of the day's business as usual. Maybe it is more of the ambiance for me. The softer lighting to help a baby establish their days and nights, or the quieter room to hold a baby and talk to them in. Sometimes I can't believe I actually get paid to do what I do compared to other nursing positions. I choose to work nights because it helps me to be the type of NICU nurse that I want to be. I realize I won't be able to do this forever. But for now I cherish the night work.
We now are going to try our hand at raising chickens. Couldn't be too different than raising 5 boys, right? We got these little birds about 6 weeks ago when they were just fluffy little peeps. We've kept them in a brooder all this time. Actually, they outgrew their first brooder and are in the larger one now. Hopefully their permanant home will be built this weekend. We are making a "chicken tractor" for them. It will be mobile and moved around a bit. Coming up with names were easy for 2 of them. The blonde is Dalila, the redhead is Gertie and the brunette is Bard (because she is a Barred Rock). I want to call her Dot because she will have white specks in her. Oh well, do chickens really KNOW their names anyways? They sure are social though. They like to be in a group and they follow us around the yard. Amber still licks her chops a bunch when she's around them. We're not sure if you can convince a birddog otherwise. Hopefully, she will grow to love them like we do. We have been learning as we go with these little creatures. See, it is like raising 5 boys!
