Is it for me?

[meyun06]

Hey ob/L&D nurses,

I'll soon begin nursing school and I wanted to be an OB nurse. Only one problem. I am very easy to get sick. I know delivering babies deal with a lot of blood and other stuff, but I really want to do this. I think about it everyday all day. When I had my son three months ago, I didn't look. I looked in another direction.

My boyfriend said it was really something to see and to handle on your stomach. Oh I did see my son's head through the doctor's eyeglasses when I was pushing(lol) and then I stopped looking. Has anyone ever wanted to do L&D but was afraid they couldn't handle it but did it and eventually made it?

If so, how long did it take to get use to doing it without being afraid that you would get sick and without actually getting sick? Did you begin to love it or just hate? If there is anyone who works in L&D with a weak stomach but knows how to cope with it, please give me a few tips.

Thanks in advance

[shelly304]

I've never woked in L&D. But when I first started nursing school almost everyone wanted L&D. By the time school ended most had chosen another specialty. L&D is rough at times....and not just the "gory" parts. The good thing is you don't have to decide right now!! Take your time and concentrate on doing well in school. I know you will get some good feedback from others. Much luck to you!

[Jo Dirt]

Though I'm a veteran when it comes to having babies, the area os OB/GYN and L&D just doesn't fascinate me the way it seems to others. I do not believe I could work there for several reasons, one being, when I was in nursing school and in clinicals, I saw babies going home to really bad situations and it bothered me a lot. Also, I'm sensitive to babies, and it it so painful when one dies. Also, OB is a whole different world than what you see on Discovery. There are abortion clinics but not all abortions take place there, when it is deemed medically necessary they will do it at the hospital and if you object to the practice you are faced with dealing with it.

When it's happy it's very happy, and when it's sad it's extremely so. No, I have not worked L&D but I know several people who have. One was the NM of an OB unit and had to get out of that area because what she saw bothered her so much.

[CABG patch kid, BSN, RN]

I agree with the OP, I used to want L&D also but ended up changing my mind (my reasons had nothing to do with blood though). You will have plenty of opportunities to see how you react to situations while you are still doing clinical rotations in school and hopefully will get to witness a few births. Most schools have a senior preceptorship where you get to go to a unit/specialty of choice and have focused clinical time in your area of interest.

As far as actual techniques on handling gross stuff: For me, if it smells bad, I try to breathe more through my mouth or put on a mask. If its something that looks gross I just try to suck it up (not literally!) and get the tasks done asap (not possible in L&D). Most of all, I think people just build a tolerance to this stuff and things that would make normal people cring wouldn't even cause a nurse to bat an eye, if you know what I mean. My coworkers and I all sit around talking about stuff that we don't think twice about at work, however, it would not be proper dinner conversation at home. Bodily fluids are just part of the job and you get used to seeing them on a daily basis.

Sorry if my post is repetitive, I haven't slept since my shift last night, lol.

[Turtle in scrubs]

Meyun06 -

I'm not an ob nurse but had similar concerns regarding what I was able to handle regarding body fluids, and for me, injections. My family joked that I couldn't be a nurse b/c I passed out when someone came at me with a needle. I found that when I was in a situation and had a patient depending me, I just got through it, and was much more concerned with treating the pt then I was about myself. Before I knew it none of it bothered me anymore. (this would probably come as a surprise to the first patient I gave an injection to who kept telling me "it's ok, your doing fine", while I shook like a leaf the whole time).

You may want to try getting a job as a tech and see how you do. This would give you exposure to those body fluids without the same commitment.

Regarding OB specifically, I agree with the other posters. You don't have to decide what area you want to work in. For those who know it's great. For the rest of us nursing school provides a wide variety of experiences to see what really interests us. All the best to you on your journey!