New Grad Going into Postpartum Nursing

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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I am a new graduate (May 2020) and was just offered my first RN job. I always knew I wanted to go into maternal child health. Last month, I interviewed for a NICU position at a hospital in NYC. I was very excited about the possibility of becoming a NICU nurse, but unfortunately I was not selected. One month later, the same hospital interviewed me again and offered me a mother/baby position that same day. I feel super lucky to have my first RN job in a specialty. I am very excited as I completed my transition clinical on a postpartum unit. I love the couplet care, working with families, and encouraging new mommies to breastfeed. I knew from this clinical experience that I could definitely see myself working as a postpartum nurse. I am, however, extremely nervous to start my first real job. The orientation is 3-6 weeks and I will be on nights. I would appreciate if any postpartum nurses would share their experiences working and if they have any advice! Any information or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thank you :)

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Specializes in OB.

Congrats!  I worked in Mother/Baby for 3 years before I became a midwife and loved it.  A lot of people view it as a "cake" specialty where the nurses sit around and eat bonbons, but if you're truly doing your job well, especially at a busy NYC hospital, you will stay plenty occupied.  I think there's also the point of view that after the baby comes out, the hard part is over, which I disagree with---moms need tons of support and education.  There are great Youtube videos out there to brush up on newborn and maternal postpartum assessments.  I'd also encourage you to look into the certified lactation counselor program (although I have no idea the status of those trainings currently d/t COVID), it's a great 5 day workshop that provides a solid foundation for breastfeeding education.

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4 hours ago, LibraSunCNM said:

Congrats!  I worked in Mother/Baby for 3 years before I became a midwife and loved it.  A lot of people view it as a "cake" specialty where the nurses sit around and eat bonbons, but if you're truly doing your job well, especially at a busy NYC hospital, you will stay plenty occupied.  I think there's also the point of view that after the baby comes out, the hard part is over, which I disagree with---moms need tons of support and education.  There are great Youtube videos out there to brush up on newborn and maternal postpartum assessments.  I'd also encourage you to look into the certified lactation counselor program (although I have no idea the status of those trainings currently d/t COVID), it's a great 5 day workshop that provides a solid foundation for breastfeeding education.

Thank you for your response! I will definitely look into the lactation workshop. Do you have any insight on the differences in days vs nights on a postpartum unit? During my clinical rotation in postpartum, I did the 12 hour day shift and there was always something to be done and kept busy most of the shift. How is the environment during a night shift? 

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Specializes in OB.
On 10/2/2020 at 1:34 PM, Kk1231 said:

Thank you for your response! I will definitely look into the lactation workshop. Do you have any insight on the differences in days vs nights on a postpartum unit? During my clinical rotation in postpartum, I did the 12 hour day shift and there was always something to be done and kept busy most of the shift. How is the environment during a night shift? 

At least where I worked, nights were still very busy.  Yes, on days you have visitors around and there are more deliveries d/t scheduled c-sections, but I never founds nights to be boring.

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Congrats! I'm starting on mother-baby later this month, and I'm nervous but excited. I will also be working nights.

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Specializes in NICU and Postpartum.

Congrats about getting the job! This article really goes into depth about being a postpartum nurse, including differences between the day shift and night shift in postpartum. I hope it helps! 

https://purelypostpartum.com/what-postpartum-nurses-do-and-how-much-they-make/

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On 10/24/2020 at 1:28 PM, lpjohnso said:

Congrats about getting the job! This article really goes into depth about being a postpartum nurse, including differences between the day shift and night shift in postpartum. I hope it helps! 

https://purelypostpartum.com/what-postpartum-nurses-do-and-how-much-they-make/

This is a great article, so thanks for posting it!

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Specializes in NICU and Postpartum.

You’re so welcome! Best of luck to you!

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Specializes in RNC-MNN & Operating Room.

Congrats on your new position! I started postpartum on nights, did a few years, and now work on days. At most places, day shift tends to be a little busier. During the day, you have the pediatrician's and OB's making rounds, ordering all types of stuff, lots of discharging, and we do circs during the day. Night shift can be busy at times, because of course, babies don't sleep on a schedule like we do. My nights were spent doing more education, baby weights and assessments. I did enjoy the slower pace of  night shift, I just couldn't stay awake, LOL. Either way mother/baby is a wonderful unit to work on! 

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On 10/12/2020 at 6:29 PM, KimchiQueen said:

Congrats! I'm starting on mother-baby later this month, and I'm nervous but excited. I will also be working nights.

Good luck! I hope it’s going well so far!

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