[bean 76]

Hi everyone! I was hoping you all could help me and provide me with a little bit of specialized input. I'm currenlty 8 weeks pregnant and in my last year of nursing school. In 2 weeks, I'm supposed to start my Peds clinical. My OB suggested that I reconsider doing peds because what I could potentially be exposed to, may hurt my baby. None of my instructors seem to think this will be a problem. I feel as though I'm stuck between a rock and hard place. I don't want any harm to come to my baby but if I pass on peds right now, I'll have to wait a full year to take it again and I can't imagine it will get any better with a 5 month old baby. If I was already a nurse working on a peds floor I couldn't just up and quit because I was pregnant....so what do you ladies who are or have been pregnant and work in peds do? What specifically do I have to look out for? I know exposure to chicken pox can be dangerous but what else? My OB seemed concerned about the recent outbreak of Whooping Cough that's been going on in our area but I can't find any info. about it being dangerous to babies in utero. I don't know what to do at this point and more information from people who know would be great. Thanks!

~Bean

Oh, by the way, I'm getting blood drawn to check my immunization titers to make sure everything is up where it should be.

[cheerfuldoer]

Congratulations on your bundle of joy that is on the way!

It's a good thing I had my children BEFORE I became a nurse because I wouldn't have worked in a hospital while pregnant knowing what I know about the germs floating around inside those walls. Far better to sacrifice the position right now than to put your baby at risk. But..that's my own personal thought on this topic.

[Jolie]

I agree that you doctor has placed you squarely between a rock and a hard place. S/he is undoubtedly trying to protect you and your baby from potential harm, but unfortunately, that is not entirely possible. You cannot go thru 9 months of pregnancy in a plastic bubble, whether you are a nursing student or not!

It would be far more helpful if your doctor would be specific about his/her concerns. Does the unit on which you will do your clinical admit an unusually high number of patients with contagious teratogenic illnesses? Does your OB have any reason to believe that you are not adequately immunized? (I think you are wise to check your titres.)

Of course, it is not possible to predict every potential exposure to infectious illness (in or out of the hospital), nor is it possible to protect oneself against every bug with a vaccine. That's where knowledge of infection control and public health come into play. Ask your instructor if you would be allowed to excuse yourself from the care of patients with known or suspected infectious illnesses such as CMV, chicken pox, measles, etc. Utilize all appropriate infection control measures with all of your patients. And insist on avoiding exposure to known teratogens such as chemo, ribavirin, x-rays, etc.

Perhaps a consultation with an occupational health nurse would be beneficial in helping you to decide whether to proceed with your clinical or not. While I would NEVER encourage you to do anything that would place you or your baby at risk, I do think your doctor has gone a little overboard. Has s/he never successfully cared for a pregnant peds, NICU, or school nurse? What about daycare providers and teachers? Heck, what about mothers of small children? To quote the movie Monsters Inc., "There is nothing more toxic than the human child." In a sense, that may be true. Kids are germ factories. But we have ways of managing the risks that enable expectant nurses, teachers and moms to have healthy pregnancies and babies. Good luck to you!

[traumaRUs]

I think I would perhaps get a second opinion. I worked in a hospital (not as a nurse) while pregnant. I just avoided CMV. The rest of the infections, I took precautions - gowning, gloving, masking and did just fine. Good luck...

[uk_nurse]

i'm 22 weeks pregnant and a paeds nurse. i dont see what the problem is apart from avoiding all the things you should do. It is no different to working on an adult ward. Congratulations on ur pregnancy

[nurseiam]

There are pregnant nurses everywhere in the hospital. Keep away from the CMV in the peds unit. Chronic kids with multiple problems that have an unknown etiology may have been exposed to CMV.
Good luck with your baby. I was pregnant my second year, and I did everything from women/newborn to oncology! I loved it! Being pregnant made it difficult for me with one wenchy instuctor...but I had a healthy baby girl who is now 6!

[Atlnurstudt]

I would go with your comfort level...I was an elementary school teacher while pregnant with my little girl and I was certainly exposed to just about everything, I'm sure (I taught French, so I had about 180 students). While I was as careful as possible (washed hands frequently and used purell liberally), I was always scared something awful would happen and even stayed home during the fifth disease and flu outbreaks (b/c they were during my 1st trimester). You can't exactly glove and gown as a teacher . If you feel like you would never forgive yourself if something were to happen, I would pass. That said, you know the proper percautions and from a strictly unemotional perspective, there shouldn't be a problem with it...I hope that makes sense.

oops, sorry, just saw the date on that post

Let me know what you decided and how it's going!

Carrie