Questions for you wonderful OB Nurses!!!!

That's great that you want to work OB. I worked in OB for over 15 years and NEVER thought that I would want to work in any other department. In the last 5 years I have taken my career to Home Health and LTC and Hospice.

I had several doctors who would kid me that I worked opposite ends of the life cycle back to back!

The hardest part of OB nursing for me would depend on the day. It can be the BEST department to work in or the WORST! The reason being of course because not EVERY situation has a storybook ending.

The BEST part is being a real part of the birthing team. You form a bond with the moms that can last FORVER!!! I see moms in the stores out in public and they do remember you. Your name. What you said to them during labor. The little things that you did for them. It is so important to remember that you will make a lasting impression.

My dad is an OB/GYN and I pretty much grew up knowing the lingo and the great hours!! So it didn't bother me to be on call. I really had a great advantage in that area as far as knowledge was concerned. I used to read the ultrasound books and labor/delivery books that he had on his bookcase when I was in the 2nd grade!

My mom was an OB nurse for her entire career. I remember hearing her stories and how BAD her legs ached after working double shifts. Almost every day. So I guess the OB thing is in my blood.

And yes, many babies have been delivered without the doctor there. Depending on the facility you work in there may not be a doctor in house 24/7. The nurse that trains you will be invaluable. Listen to everything she has to tell you. Don't base your nursing advice based on your personal experiences. Know that one size doesn't fit all. Just because something happened during a mom's first delivery does NOT mean that it will happen again. Anything goes.

A lot of new nurses on orientation like to tell personal stories. There will be time for that. When you orient, make sure that you do much more listening than speaking. Questions are good but I'm sure you recall nursing school theory when EVERYONE has to share what happened to them. Get as much information during your training as you can. Go to as many deliveries as you can as a student or new nurse.

Don't be afraid to tell your nurse preceptor that you are not comfortable with a skill enough to do it independently. Make sure you DO IT with help and then DO IT with someone observing you. Be comfortable and confident.

I'll stop rambling now. And as with any nursing specialty you will learn MOST with experience. And you can't rush that. One day you will just FEEL like an OB nurse. Experience is truly the best teacher.

thank you candygyrl for this great post. I am beginning a career in postpartum/well baby nursery on september 8th, and I would like to get some perspective from OB nurses.

and thank you jxnRN for sharing. any and all advice is greatly appreciated and wanted!!

Hi,
You'll probably get as many different answers as there are members who post to this thread, as it's different for all of us. I hope there are more who come along behind me and share their perspectives as well.

The hardest part(s) of OB nursing:
1) Not really different than any other part of nursing - short staffing, sometimes inadequate resources/supplies, and having to 'make do' with less-than-optimal all of the above. Oh, and paperwork. I loathe paperwork.

2) Specific to OB nursing, the hardest part for me is dealing with difficult families. I know how to deal with emergencies, I know how to handle grief and loss (though it's not by any means fun), all that is manageable. It is demanding, difficult patients and their families that can make my life hell on the OB unit. The ones that think the snacks are for the entire clan to rummage through and take whatever they like. The ones that demand I bring enough pillows and blankets for all dozen to stay the night when I don't know for sure if I have enough blankets and pillows for my patients. Let me say, though, that in my neck of the woods, this sort is few and far between. Most of the patients I deal with of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses are kind and receptive to the care I give.

What is the best part?
Watching people make the transition from parents-to-be to parents. That is a heck of a cool thing. When they use the tricks I show them to settle the fussy baby themselves. When a new mom goes from "I'll never ever figure breastfeeding out" to "Wow, this is so cool!" on my watch.

Regarding complicated situations:
They tend to be what you make of them. No one I know enjoys fetal demises or the like, but after you do enough, you get a certain level of comfort in caring for the patients. You can go in with the attitude of, "This sucks, I hate this kind of patient," or you can go in with "I'm going to learn something and use every tool in my toolbox to take good care of this patient." The latter is far more preferable. Fetal demises seem to come in spurts at my place. We may go for a couple months and not see any, then have several in the space of two weeks. They are emotionally draining, for sure.

Most every nurse I know has delivered a baby without a doctor present. Sometimes mom comes in precipping and it's either a nurse-catch or baby falls on the floor. Sometimes it's a doc that hasn't a clue what s/he's doing and the 25yr nurse vet kinda takes over. On our floor, mother/baby nurses deliver fetal demise babies under 20 weeks. I have delivered a few of those (no L&D for me!). And sometimes, we've had previously stable antepartums all of a sudden blow and deliver before we can get a doc in the room or the patient transferred to L/D. So yes, it happens. The good news is that if this is a term baby, and it's coming, it's going to come no matter what, and all you have to do is stand there and catch.

It's definitely not the flowers-hearts-sunshine-easypeasy floor that people think it is. When it's good it's great, and when it's bad it's horrible, and it can go very bad very fast. The great news is that most of the time it doesn't - but that doesn't exempt you from being on your toes for when it does.

When you're in your OB rotation, volunteer to do and see as much as they'll let you. It's an eye opener, for sure. Welcome to nursing!

On the topic of demise's..... while those are by far the most emotionally difficult for me personally, they have also proven to be the most rewarding as well. I will never continue to be amazed at how simply awe inspiring the human spirit can be. There is something to be said for being with someone in their most difficult time in their lives and the giving of yourself that goes along with it. I will never forget the demise pt's I have had, I will never forget the babies. I remember one particularly tough time.....our's come in spurts as well...and we had a run of them around a few years back. I had 3 of them myself in 3 weeks. One was particularly difficult for a LOT of reasons and I just remember thinking that there was NOTHING I could do for this family. Everything I did (medically) made things more difficult, I couldn't even get her an epidural. I cried in the back room, I cried at home, and I questioned everything about myself and my job. Granted, most IUFD's aren't AS difficult as this particular one was but it really rocked me HARD. A few years later when they requested me for their new delivery, I was actually torn. I didn't even understand why they would request me since I felt like I had failed them. But they did, and I was, and it was amazing. Walking in to the room and having them talk to me about how thankful they were and pointing out various things that I did that touched them and made things easier was by far the most humbling experience of my career thus far. It made me realize that the most difficult times are the times when you have the MOST opportunity to REALLY help. I doubt that most of my patients will ever remember my name, even if we really bonded. It is always amazing to be a part of all of that...but they have so much going on that they quickly move on to the next phase in their lives. And while they probably have fond memories (I hope, lol) of their delivery, the specifics will probably be lost. They might say "my nurse was really supportive" but that is the extent of it. Not that I mind, I am there only briefly and enjoy it just the same, lol. But, the ones that are difficult (the iufd's) will, more then likely, remember everything. And from my experiences, they are VERY grateful for every little thing you do. Which, in itself is amazing and inspiring. I know my one hold back for LD was the iufd issue, it was my fear. It is the most difficult issue...but, like any other area of nursing, THOSE are the times when you are truly a "nurse", and those are the times you learn the most from about yourself and about others.

Agreed with you on the IUFDs, bmcm. While no one I know enjoys them, they do tend to be some of the most rewarding families to care for.

Hi there. I just want to ask why did you guys chose to become an OB nurse? Thanks