male labor and delivery nurses

It's interesting ... most of us who are responding are female and are pretty comfortable with male L&D nurses.

When I asked my husband the other day about how he would feel about a male L&D nurse, he looked at me as if I had gone absolutely wacko and said, "No flippin' way!". I think there are many husbands who might share his belief. Women in general are often more accepting of alternative ideas than men, especially at first, and many men are deeply uncomfortable with another man seeing their wife in such an intimate way. It's one more perspective, anyway.

Interestingly, my hubby is a respiratory therapist and medical student who will have to do time on L&D. He really believes in the idea of women supporting other women through labor and birth, and that the male presence in obstetrics was, from a historical perspective, WAY more about money than caring for women and babies.

And yes, if I were to risk out to an OB/GYN for our birth (lots of you know that I'm the freaky gal who's having a homebirth in a few weeks ), he would prefer a female OB.

Still, I don't always believe women are better care providers. With my son, I started with a female midwife who was wretched and switched to a family practice doc who I believe should be made into an Honorary Girlfriend. He was just THAT sensitive. So I'm aware of the ideal versus the reality.

Alison

I have no problem with male nurses but call me old fashioned or too conservative or whatever, I would not want a male nurse for any female thing. That being said I also prefer women doctors for female things. I wont be as honest with a man as I would a woman. Sorry, that is just the way I feel. On a further note I also prefer my ob nurse to have had kids herself so she can relate somewhat on a personal level as well as professional.

Hey All,

Just wanted to add that men can excel in the labor and delivery arena. I worked from 1996-2000 at the New York Hospital. I had a great time and had no problems with patients. There were only three occasions (over 4 years) that I did not "take" a patient. Those women were very conservative Islamic women who were in the traditional dress.

I came extremely close to entering a midwivery program at Down State. I have read the postings and am saddened by the bias towards men in this field. My take on this is that men in this field understand that it is unorthodox and with that, men "go out of their way" if you will in caring for the laboring mother and staying current with AWHONN standards and practices. Now I have taken my experience as a labor nurse and have incorporated it into my anesthesia practice. Wow! what a great place to be, providing comfort and care for the laboring woman.

Have a great day,
Mike

I prefer to have female drs/nurses for female issues like OB-GYN. My only real reason is that I just feel more comfortable discussing sexual issues/female concerns with another woman. If I am discussing something like menstrual cramping or whatever, usually the female RN or MD I am talking to has experienced it firsthand. I know not everyone thinks like that, so I think it is fine to have a male RN working OB.

I learned a lot of my tricks from a male nurse he was very smart and an asset to our unit.I miss our male nurse very much, he never did ve's and I respected that.....I think male nurse's in L&D are great as long as they respect their patients/profession

Me too: 3 kids, homebirth, midwife - I controlled who saw my cootchie and when.

There was a reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally hot debate on this a couple of years ago on the board. A male LD nurse was part of the discussion. Look through the archives and see if you can't pull it up.

Good luck daddy-o

Kate

I don't have any children so maybe I can't really comment..but I don't think when that time comes that I would mind at all...I mean it's all professional, it's not like anyone gets pleasure out of vaginal exams and what not...I used to see a female GYN and I felt more uncomfortable than I did with my male GYN so I switched back.

I say go for it, there isnt a reason not too, youll never know until you try! GOod Luck

Someone mentioned a post a few years ago reguarding this topic. Several years back this topic was disscussed quite offten. Looking back threw the posts I realise how much this board helped me threw my first year in OB. There were allot of people who encouraged me (SMBE's and otehrs) and there were also those that openly attacked me forcing me to explore my motivations and really ******* me off just enough to keep me going. Anyway here are 2 of many of the disscussions we had back then. have fun...

http://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19819

http://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25956

LOL I kinda feel like a kid, lighting up a fire craker and running away.

Ever since doing my OB rotation in nursing school I've always wanted to see men enter the nursing field of L&D. I hate needless barriers. If you're competent and caring and don't give off any weird vibes, most people will pick up on that and appreciate you. You will also have the added advantage of a man who knows what it feels like to be a father with an SO in labor. As to the father figure, mother figure thing somebody wrote about previously, my dad was a much better mother to me than my own mother. He was much more tender, and openly caring. And, that other patient of yours, that little boy or girl who is trying to be born will surely appreciate any skill and knowledge you can bring to make their experience less trying and perilous.

I'm an ADN student in southern Wisconsin. I did a search for men in L&D because I just finished my first day of L&D/PP clinical today. It was amazing. It's only my second rotation, so I don't have a wealth of experience to draw from, but it was nice to learn from this thread that if I should choose L&D, it is possible. Thanks for a great thread.

-Theron