Crying?

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Hello! Ok so I am doing my OB clinical rotation right now in school. I definitely know after doing my rotations so far that OB is for me!!! Now, I've done postpartum mother baby care and 2 days in labor and delivery and love them both so far. However here's my problem... After the 2 lady partsl deliveries I've seen, I've cried happy tears after the baby comes out!!!! Did anyone else do this and be able to control their emotions once getting a job in labor and delivery? Maybe when it's my own patient I won't have the time to get so emotional??

Just wanted to know if there's any other criers out there and if it eventually went away!

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Tears of sadness or joy are OK, you are human. The trick is to remain professional and not become a blubbering baby :) I get teary eyed at times, I do have a heart but my tears are that of sadness mostly as someone dies and the effects are seen when the family is made aware or at the bedside...

You will also experience death in L&D, some babies die, some moms die. Just be aware, if it is too much take a moment for yourself to pull it back together.

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Specializes in Nurse-Midwife.

I love this question.

I did my share of crying the first many births I attended. And I still sometimes cry at births. Oh, it is a beautiful thing! Or sometimes a grandma or a dad or a sibling or someone does something incredibly sweet and touching and I then I'm crying.

It makes me feel human - and not so jaded at life.

I've found that after attending births and having responsibilities that required my attention and focus, I could get through without crying. It's hard to imagine when you're first getting involved with labor and birth! It's a pretty overwhelming experience - for everyone. It's OK to be touched - and it is a wonderful thing to witness. You will get "used to it" - but I'm usually happily surprised when birth still touches me, and I find myself dabbing my eyes.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Experiencing a birth or a death for the first time is a very powerful experience. I cried the first time I saw a baby born and I cried the first time one of my (pediatric) patients died. Having been a pediatric nurse for nearly 6 years now, I no longer cry even when my patients die.

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.

I cried plenty of times in L&D. Tears of joy, and tears of sadness. We are human, not emotionless lumps. The important thing is to not make it about you. After a while, you will cry less. I remember being appalled the first time I didn't cry over a stillbirth. Was I turning into some sort of cynical monster? No, I was just a little more battle-hardened.

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Specializes in Peds, Float, Ambulatory, Telemetry (new).

Oh hell yeah! I cried with the family. I was so happy and birth is a beautiful thing. The rest of it (blood, episiotomies, fluid) is just what comes with birth. But one time I started crying and I turned to my classmate to see how she felt and she wasn't even affected by it. She was more disgusted with the gore of it all. lol it was so funny. On the opposite spectrum I have cried over deaths of patients. But after a few, you tend to get "hardened" by it. So I can only imagine after a few more births it will become routine for you.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

You become more accustom to the events that surround you. However you will still have time when you cry....in both joy and sadness. The key is to not let it interfere with the patient care or make you unable to function. Be prepared......L&D is a difficult area to break into.....Good Luck!!!!

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Witnessing a birth of a baby is a beautiful thing, I believe I've cried too during my OB rotation. Our clinical nurse specialist for OB told us that she cries at every birth she sees and she has been doing OB for ever. She stated the day she stops crying is the day she'll walk away from nursing.

I'm sure this is not true for every nurse, but the point is, crying is ok. You will cry tears of joy and sadness.

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Thank you! The weird part is that I've seen a few csections but I didn't cry at those.... More tense maybe in the OR?

Anyways good to know I'm not alone.

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I am generally not an emotional person, but I absolutely cried when I saw a birth in nursing school. To be honest, that is the only actual birth I have seen. I am sure I will cry many times as I embark on my new job as an L&D nurse. Also, I have cried every time one of my patients has died in my 3.5 years of nursing experience. I always tell my husband that when I stop crying is when I know I shouldn't be working anymore. It means I have lost my ability to connect with my patients and their families.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

Crying is normal. After awhile you won't cry as much. I have been an LDRP nurse for almost 4 years now and about the only time I cry (tear up) is when mom gets super extra emotional after baby comes out (like a mom after Hx infertility, previous fetal loss, ect), and I pretty much tear up every time a dad cries.

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oh yes the dad's crying is what gets me - especially when its their first baby....I also had tears as they walked a 38w stillborn infant down to the morgue...EVERYONE was crying including the grey haired doc...

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