EXTREME Anxiety About Starting OB/GYN L&D Quarter

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

Good morning, fellow AN members!

After a very "hurry up and wait" type of summer break, the start of the new quarter is barreling down on me like a bullet train full of babies and pregnant women and I'm the helpless damsel tied to the track.

L&D, OB/GYN -- I don't get it but it freaks me out like nothing else. The last time I was anxious like this was my first skills exam 5 weeks into my 1st quarter. I'm not quite sure what to make of this. I suppose it comes from having basically nil to none to negative experience in the area. Of course all the moms in my class are so excited -- THRILLED -- for this quarter but I long for when we get to critical care and psych (and that makes me feel messed up -- I'm a woman but I don't get all googly-eyed for babies -- they frighten me significantly as I am klutzy). Don't get me wrong, I love babies, I think kids are infinitely interesting and I am thrilled to get to be starting a family relatively soon but I don't know if that's an area of nursing I am mentally/emotionally equipped for. I cry over every tragic NICU/PICU story on here and in every book I've read. I cannot fathom being confronted with that in the real world.

I started the summer going through my ATI module book for this topic and my face was basically & the whole time. And god help me when it comes time to actually start clinical! I'm hoping I can fix my face and not make any strange expressions with any of my patients -- I'm really taking to heart the one post that mentioned how E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G sticks to the pt's memory when it comes to the care she received while pregnant and during delivery. I want (desperately) only to contribute positive things to my pts' experiences.

So, my fellow AN members, what suggestions do you have to help me get over my anxiety with L&D/OB/GYN? I really want to love this subject (backstory: my partner has left law enforcement to become a mother so I know I really, really need to get into it) because I know that will help me be successful during this quarter (see backstory; my life has become significantly more complicated in the last few weeks and I have additional anxiety to add to what I was already dreading before my last med-surg qtr ended).

Sorry it was so long! Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I think you need to make a list of the things that make you anxious. When you get to the floor, show a nurse your list. Bet they have been thru the same issues! Ask the nurses to help you learn more about those topics and you will feel more confident. Plus, it shows you care enough to do your best

[Sandra2015]

I'm going through this rotation as well. Let me tell you that most, if not all, of the people in my clinical group felt a little lost the first few days on the floor. This nursing speciality is definitely a different monster to tackle-- as all are! But, we didn't go into the past specialties with tons if experience either; that's something to remember while you're on the floor. You'll definitely learn things a long the way that will bring a lot of abstract things together.

You don't necessarily have to be interested in this speciality or even become an L and D, Post partum nurse etc. But go onto the floor with a positive and open minded attitude to really get the most out of it. Plus, you might be surprised at how much you can navigate through this specialty based on your past knowledge.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

The best thing you can do is talk to your clinical instructor. I dreaded my OB rotation because I had experienced several miscarriages & infertility issues prior to having my miracle baby. I didn't want anything to do with L&D because it dredges up all that sadness & frustration I went through. I didn't want to be around it at all. She was understanding about it and told me to look at the things I need to learn: assessments, reading the heart monitor strip, non-pharmacologic pain relief, etc. It ended being an enjoyable rotation! The subject I dreaded the most, go figure. Now I'm in Peds and while I wasn't thrilled about it, I'm learning SO much. If I can do IVs on wriggling kids with tiny veins, then adults should be a piece of cake when I do urgent/emergency care my last semester.

Look at how you can apply what you're learning to other things and it becomes more interesting.

Good luck!

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

Oh man, SopranoKris, thank you for sharing. It's the emotions about the tragic things that I think are going to make it the most difficult. I've just always been of the mindset that babies do nothing to contribute to their circumstances unlike adults who have opportunities to not make the poor choices that cause them chronic suffering. It is difficult to look think of a baby, assess the baby and do your best to help correct whatever the problem is. They didn't deserve that to happen, though! And so often, it seems like there is so little that can be done (i.e. a miscarriage). And the family suffering and the sadness -- it's so much to take.

I guess I'm afraid that, as my partner and I begin this process, that I'll have irrational anxiety about our baby and be terrified of any negative outcome. Reading through the losses people experience, I don't know how I could cope. I now completely understand the hope of a future you look at for the baby you're patiently waiting for -- only to have it wrenched from your life with little to nothing you could do to prevent it. I hope that I can just emulate what the good nurses on my unit do and hope the emotions don't cause me to block out the learning and experience I should be gaining.

Thanks for the responses!