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I am considering going to school to become an RN. I really would like to be a Labor and delivery Nurse.

But my main concern is how to deal with if a mother or child dies.

Has anyone had to deal with this before..

if not what are your thoughts.

thanks,

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

That must be a really hard situation to deal with. To help you hone in on those who have experienced this situation, I'm moving your post to the OB forum. Good luck to you in all that you do.

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Specializes in L&D, QI, Public Health.
I am considering going to school to become an RN. I really would like to be a Labor and delivery Nurse.

But my main concern is how to deal with if a mother or child dies.

Has anyone had to deal with this before..

if not what are your thoughts.

thanks,

I had the same concern as you, but when I had my first fetal demise, I felt strangely detached from the situation.

You'll never know how you feel until you face it. Don't let that be on the only reason you don't become an L and D nurse.

Trust me, there are a lot more issues to consider.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Generally, OB is a happy field. Most women are healthy, most babies are healthy, and most families do well adapting to their new roles.

That said, when it is bad, it is very bad. And you have a valid concern. I had no idea what I would do the first time a baby or mom went bad/died. My first fetal demise I shook the entire time. I felt like I was not being any good to the family because it was all I could do to keep myself together. It is not fun. But you know what? I wrote about it, I cried about it, and got back on the horse to ride again.

It is ok if you cry, even if it's in front of your patient/family. It does NOT make you a bad nurse. It makes you a human nurse.

If you're worried about what to do clinically, you will be surprised at what you do just on sheer instinct. And you will have backup. You are not left to manage emergencies all by yourself. From a clinical standpoint, I feel more comfortable in a hospital that has a NICU so that if there's a problem (or even if we anticipate one) with a baby, we can pick up the phone and call. Also, if you are at a teaching hospital, you have residents and attendings (both OB and NICU/peds) in-house all the time.

I hope this helps some. It is a scary feeling. Nobody goes to work hoping for something bad to happen to mom or baby. Some things aren't preventable but are fortunately rare (amniotic fluid embolism, for example). Other things (postpartum hemorrhage) can sometimes be predicted, sometimes not but fortunately can be managed in an overwhelming majority of cases.

If you are considering L/D, I would encourage you to not write it off just yet. Give it a shot in nursing school and see what it's like in the trenches. Good luck!

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thanks ladies.. I have been thinking hard about it and well I really want do be L&D so i think now it's time to start working on becoming an RN.

thank for sharing your stories with me.

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Specializes in L& D / GI NURSE.

No matter what field in nursing you go into these type of situations happen. I found that I could be really strong for my patients when they needed me to be. And if they are crying, it is ok to hold their hand, hug them, and cry with them... Some people shy away when they know their is a fetal demise on the floor, you don't always need to know what to say.. just take the best care you can and mean it..... always the best of luck 2 ya

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Specializes in L&D telephone triage.

After 10 years, you still cry if you need to. It's very hard. Death is always hard, but mothers and babies to me are harder. You just have to have faith and know you are there to help these families as best your can. I'm not sure I can say it ever really gets easlier. You just give all the support you can.

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I'm currently in my first year of nursing school, and in the past, I have dealt with this type of loss personally. I too want become an labor and delivery nurse because of this. The nurse I had was terrific, and what stays with the patient is how caring the nurses can be. She did not cry, but she was there for me and provided the best care she could. That's all I could ask for, I wouldn't have cared if she cried.

Currently, I'm writing an paper on an article that is evidence based regarding caring for parents who have lost a baby. It states that nurses that deal with patients that go through an fetal demise should have the support of the colleagues and supervisors, as providing care for the parents demands commitment, skill, is time consuming, and can be stressful. From my viewpoint, on the L&D ward, my nurse was pretty much in there from the get go until I moved down to the gynecology unit. But even though it might be stressful, I know I want to care for others like my nurse did for me in the same situation. She was actual an professor for a community college and worked there part time. Maybe that's why she was so wonderful. :rolleyes: I can honestly say that I remember that nurse that helped me through my loss than any other nurse. I think it'll be the most rewarding in my opinion.

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