Mom/Baby Nurses

damarystx · Jan 7, 2007

There are specialty forums on allnurses that are really great for information on different areas of nursing and your question may already be answered. Good luck to you!

CMCRN · Jan 7, 2007

I work in L&D and we only use RNs. We do use some LPNs in post partum, Mom/baby. The above poster is right lots about this in the OB/GYN forum

JustAboutRN · Jan 7, 2007

I'm asking about this area because I'm going back to school to get my BSN. I just wanted some additional info. Thanks!

DesertRain · Jan 7, 2007

I had similar questions and posted in the nursing advice forum so it wasn't so "exclusive" to those already in the field. I got a much better response there. When you get into the specialized forums I think a lot of people tend to forget that they once had to start out fresh as well. Good luck with your BSN. Visit the LPN-RN and other pre-nursing student forums for better support.

JustAboutRN · Jan 7, 2007

Thanks. The only reason I posted this was because I went through about 5-6 pages back and saw some related questions but I didn't see anything specific to what I wanted to ask about Mom/Baby. I have kept on reading and I'm starting to get some good information. I'm a newbie but I'm trying!!

DesertRain · Jan 7, 2007

Thanks. The only reason I posted this was because I went through about 5-6 pages back and saw some related questions but I didn't see anything specific to what I wanted to ask about Mom/Baby. I have kept on reading and I'm starting to get some good information. I'm a newbie but I'm trying!!

There are some good people on this site. When I first had some questions I was completely shunned and felt like a complete loser and didn't come back for a while. Don't let those people get to you. Nurses are supposed to "help" right? But it's too much for them to answer a simple question sometimes. Makes you wonder what other short cuts they take on the job. Anyhow, I'll probably take a bashing for this but I seen it happen too many times and I don't think newbies need that kind of discouragement.

babyktchr, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2007

Mom/Baby nursing is one of the many dimensions of OB nursing. You have to have expertise in the care of a postpartum mom and a newborn. It can be trying, especially if you have a handful of them to care for. The one thing I like about it is the teaching aspect. The one thing I hate about it is the teaching aspect. LOL. There is never enough time in the day to teach, and never enough retention of what you taught. Somedays you seem to say the same things over and over and over to the same person. Breastfeeding can be challenging, fussy babies and frustrated parents pose yet another challenge. Its all just part of it. I personally am glad I can rotate to different areas of my unit to get a break from the Mom/Baby thing....but if you think about it, all of OB comes down to caring for that mom/baby unit.

You will need Neonatal Resusitation training in PP, and continuing education in the care of newborns and moms. You can never have enough of that. READ READ READ and go to conferences. Learn all you can. In the real world, Mom/Baby can be truly a rewarding time. You can be instrumental in teaching good care of newborns and help moms take good care of themeselves.

Remember, as in any specialty (including med/surg) it takes TIME to learn and be a good nurse. Give yourself time to acquire skills and instincts. They won't just come in a day, and it will take time for you to become comfortable.

Good luck to you.

JustAboutRN · Jan 7, 2007

Thanks so much babyktchr! I'm in the process of trying to decide what my focus will be when I graduate in a few years. I know it will be somewhere in the realm of OB/GYN but I hadn't heard alot about Mom/Baby. I want to be in an area where I can teach and make a difference. During my two childbearing experiences I got treated like I knew nothing and one nurse even told me to be quiet while I was in labor with my second son. So...I want to enter this area with a mother's empathy and a nurse's expertise!

DesertRain, it's ok that some don't want to take the time out to answer my questions. But I am thankful for those that do!

MIA-RN1, RN · Jan 7, 2007

I am interested in Mom/Baby nursing. I'd like to know how those of you in this area feel are the best/worst things about your job. Also, what type of additional experience/education did you need to get?

I have been a mother baby nurse since I graduated with my RN in May 2006. I love it. I got into it because I love teaching and love people. Also because I don't love the critical care environment (although don't be fooled...when things go wrong in post-partum, they go REALLY wrong and I have used some of my med-surg skills learned in school!)

Any further training such as NRP is all done on-the-job where I work, so I just came in as a fresh grad, with my stethoscope in one hand and my CPR card in the other! :)

Best and worst...hmm...teaching is definitely the best, and being able to be with someone at such a critical time. I love helping the moms, when I get a fresh c-sect in the morning who is throwing up and painful and has a spitty cold baby, and then when I leave at night she has been out of bed, is resting comfortable nursing her baby...that's a huge rush for me.

Worst...I don't know. Unit politics? lol. Some of our patients are higher acuity and I am still new enough to feel intimidated by the pts on mag-sulfate or the antepartums with issues. I'd rather not have to care for them but thats probably due more to my lack of experience.

The one thing that I hate the worst of all....giving shots. There I said it lol. And its not specific to mother/baby nursing so I guess I have to learn to deal with it!

Follow your dreams with what you want to do. You may change your mind about where you want to work several times before you graduate (I know I did!). Do what feels best at the time; nursing has so many avenues that if you decide later to change, its not hard to do.

passionflower, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 7, 2007

I think one of the most important aspects of mother/baby nursing is remembering that you are caring for two patients. Therefore if you have a mother/baby couplet assignment of 4 you are really responsible for 8. This can be tricky in terms of organization skills. Paperwork for mom's assessment, paperwork for newborn's assessment. In some facilities infant is assessed by nursery nurse. Where I work, nurses are responsible for mom and infant's care, antepartum's, nursery and even being 2nd on delivery. I like the mix. Some people think M/B nursing is not challenging, but like one poster said, you get IV's running antibiotics, mom's sick on magnesium, also you have to develop strong assessment skills for newborn since they can't tell you what's wrong. They can turn in an instant. Teaching is what you will need to focus on the most. Good luck, it is rewarding, challenging and fun.

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 8, 2007

I had similar questions and posted in the nursing advice forum so it wasn't so "exclusive" to those already in the field. I got a much better response there. When you get into the specialized forums I think a lot of people tend to forget that they once had to start out fresh as well. Good luck with your BSN. Visit the LPN-RN and other pre-nursing student forums for better support.

"Exclusive"? I don't think that is fair to say. I have seen many new and potential nurses mentored in this forum. Sometimes, threads do get lost esp on weekends and slow times, but don't discount this forum as a place for people to get some good help and advice.

thanks.