[breastfeedingRN]

Just wanted to share my past weekend at work. It was a great one. This is why I became a nurse. I work in Postpartum and have been on my own for a little over 2 months now.

Had a great weekend at work. Really bonded with my patients and got several comments about how they were so glad to see me, that they were happy when they saw I would be their nurse again, etc. Got lots of hugs when I said goodbye on Monday morning as well. Had 3 of the couplets for both nights, 1 new one on Sunday night, but we bonded as well. Even the hubbies thanked me. I was so happy. That is why I am a nurse.

I love to teach and help them and when I know that I have positively effected their lives, it makes all the difference. Unfortunately, not all nurses are the same. One said to me "You teach us so much. You take the time and make us feel like our questions are important. You sit on the edge of my bed and answer my questions and talk to me, not at the door or while you are leaving the room." Anyway, enough bragging. LOL.

All were breastfeeding which is great! I was trying as hard as I could to help them. Had 2 of them pumping and all but one were supplementing. I had to start supplementing one and I hate to be the first to supplement. I don't like supplementing unless it is necessary, but I really hate to have to tell the mom we need to supplement.

One of them had a positive postpartum depression risk screening (which we do on all mamas) and when I started to talk to her about it she started crying. I felt so bad. She was afraid if she told anyone the things she was thinking and feeling, that we would try to get her baby taken from her. How sad. I told her that that is not why we ask the questions. We want to get them help if they need it and help them and their partner to be aware of it. Her and her hubby had already talked about it so I chatted with both of them about community and online resources and got a social service consult for her. I had never thought that someone might think if they answer yes to those questions or talk to their doctor about it that their baby might be taken from them, that made me so sad.

All in all I left happy. Sure wish they would fill out our appreciation cards so my supervisors would know that I give good care, but they rarely do. I think they get them in their admission packets and they are forgotten about. Would be nice to have those comments in my file. But, I am happy that they are at least in my heart and mind. It was a definite picker upper!

[luilui_604]

thank you for sharing your story with us, it was a real pleasure to read! when we feel appreciated for the work that we do, it makes a huge impact on the way we view nursing and how we should nurse! i hope u continue to have awesome days like that!!

by the way, can i ask where u work? i really want to get into maternity, but for now i'm working in neuro....i'm also going to take my NCLEX in 6 days!!!! i've been a Canadian GN for 4 months now and have been working for 3 months! i accepted a job offer in SF, but in the stroke unit.....my passion is maternity but the hospital wasn't hiring in that area

[NCLEX_CareBear]

Hi BreastfeedingRN! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Just wondering, are you a new graduate? You were able to find a job in postpartum?!?! I'm so jealous. =) That's the unit I'm really interested in. But couldn't find a job in that unit. Also, I thought I would work in something more generalized first...you know, like to get use to things. So I start orientation on Tuesday for a general medicine unit. I can't wait!

So...have other nurses you work with worked on other units before doing postpartum? If so, which ones? In your opinion, is it difficult to get into a postpartum unit from another unit? Or is it basically depend on whether there is a position open? One more question...do moms take nurses seriously when they are taught by someone younger than they are and have no personal experience with babies and giving birth???

Thanks!

CareBear : )

[breastfeedingRN]

luilui-i work on a postpartum unit in arizona. i am so lucky that i got to work where i wanted to right out of school. i do think it probably would have helped to work on med/surg, but that isn't where i want to be. i love where i am and really don't plan on working elsewhere so why not start where i love to be? good luck to you!

carebear-i am a new graduate. i also only work 2 days a week. i was very lucky. i think that having done my preceptorship at the end of school there for 3 weeks there helped. i got a good review from my preceptor and that helped. i really love it and am so glad that i got the job i wanted where i wanted. love my hospital and fellow employees. i couldn't have found a better place. i think that general medicine will only help you. i still fear the day i have an order to put down an NG tube or something. and we do get post-gyne surgery and regular GYN patients sometimes so i do get a little med surg mixed in every once in awhile.

i don't think that parents care what age you are. as long as you are a good nurse they don't care. i am sure there are exceptions, but generally i don't think it matters. i also don't think having kids makes one a better postpartum nurse. sometimes i am asked if i have kids, but not most of the time. especially first time moms. they tend to be so in focus on themselves and their new baby.

good luck to you!

[madwife2002]

Good luck for your NCLEX I sat it on the 17th.

[Tweety]

You are doing a great job! Keep up the good work. Those days when you feel you've made a difference in someone's life are awesome.

[akcarmean]

Keep up the good work

[grammyj]

Shoot! A day like that would make me happy too!

[RainDreamer]

What a great story!! Thanks for sharing that with us, makes me even more excited to graduate this May when I hear things like this, that's what it's all about!

Ya never know, they could fill out their appreciation cards. When my cousin had her baby they had such a great L&D nurse they wrote a letter to the hospital afterwards just saying how great she was. And just knowing you helped give them such great care and seeing how thankful and happy they were, that's gotta be so great!

[mishayla96]

Originally Posted by RainDreamer

What a great story!! Thanks for sharing that with us, makes me even more excited to graduate this May when I hear things like this, that's what it's all about!

Ya never know, they could fill out their appreciation cards. When my cousin had her baby they had such a great L&D nurse they wrote a letter to the hospital afterwards just saying how great she was. And just knowing you helped give them such great care and seeing how thankful and happy they were, that's gotta be so great!

As everyone said, that was a great story and thanks for sharing it with us. I am not even in nursing yet, and that brought a smile to my face. That is one of the major reasons I want to go into nursing...so that I can make a difference in my pts lives, both medically and for them to know I really care and am there for them!!!!!! You are an inspiration to me!