New to Labor and Delivery/Postpartum Nursing - Please help!

[michelemrn]

Hi everyone! I've been a nurse for 2 years now with experience in med-surg and most recently in psych. I have been passionate about women's health nursing for years and finally had a job interview today for an LDRP unit which went really well and I am fairly certain I have the job. The only thing is, I am completely freaking out and frankly, am terrified to start something so new. Part of me is ecstatic that I will finally have this opportunity and the other part wants to stay where I currently am simply because it's what I know (even though I'm miserable there). I've been trying to explain how I'm feeling to my husband and parents and they are so happy for me and can't seem to understand why I'm so conflicted. Any advice? What have your experiences been on LDRP units and what should I expect? Are there any books that you would recommend for me to brush up on this type of nursing? Thank you all so much!

[OCRN3]

I have the same issue. Working on the floor med/ surg for years, got an NP, somewhat felt un satisfied. Kept my floor job. Decided teaching would be great. I still can't let go of my floor job. Tight now I want to quit teaching and do floor full time. It is conflicting, I too feel miserable a lot on med surg, I keep trying to reach for something that's not there. I think you might be ok trying OB because you are still on the floor, but I have heard that it get monotonous after awhile. Good luck and I hope you find your niche. As for me, I might just stay in the floor for my retirement.....

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[sarahaldean]

I am also new to L&D. I am going back to work after an eight year break from nursing. I was so lucky to get a job in the specialty I always wanted to be in. To prepare I a Maternity focused reentry course which included NRP, STABLE, AWHONN basic fetal heart and other great classes. I also purchased a text book with study guide. I was or tho nurse before so I know how you might be feeling. It is so hard to explain to others outside of the nursing profession. Hope you get the job. They know you are new to the specialty and will give you an orientation. Good luck.

[Katie71275]

You will do great. I am a new grad(May) on a labor unit and I was terrified, but excited at the same time. You do a lot of the same things sometimes with caring for patients in such a specialized unit, so I think you become fairly efficient pretty fast. Although, there are of course emergencies and special situations that come in esp if you work with High Risk, but I have found that LD is pretty team work oriented, so you will have someone who can back you up. I make sure to ask plenty of questions even if it sounds or makes me look stupid. I'd rather know, then not ask.

[M/B-RN]

I've never worked l/d, started as a new grad on postpartum. You have the advantage of nursing experience which means you already know how to start an IV, cath someone, etc. so your main focus is learning all about babies and changes that come with pregnancy and labor. It really helped me to buy books on my specialty as it is a true specialty. Focus on getting your assessments down, how lab values and VS change, complications during labor and after delivery, medications, and on breastfeeding. It is okay to ask a lot of questions, we all ask questions every day, sometimes even nurses with many years on the unit ask me something and teach them something they don't know! Congratulations on the job!

[lilkayt]

I am a veteran OB nurse of 25+ years, and retired now. I always told new nurses to the unit, to give it a good six months. It can be daunting at times. The good deliveries are wonderful, but then a bad one comes along and believe me, you will be ready to jump ship. I was, as a student. But, I stuck it out.

The loss of a newborn is such a huge one.

After 6 months, if you aren't beginning to think "Hey, I think I've got this and you still get apprehensive getting ready for work, then it's time to reassess. Most tell me after about 6 months( if they are meant to be in OB), they can't imagine working anywhere else.

[serenity1]

Congratulations all of you that are new to ob! A great book that helped me in labor and post partum was intrapartum management modules. I bought it online. Kind of pricey but the information is wonderful. I also bought the basic fetal monitoring book and class from AWHONN which helped me as I was going through my hospital's training. Labor takes a while to get used to and feel comfortable. Even after a year in labor, I still had my days that rocked me. Good luck to all of you!!

[monkeybug]

Congrats, I hope you do get the job! If you're lucky, it will be a unit where teamwork is valued. At my last L&D position, we felt totally ok with asking another nurse for their opinion on fetal monitor strips and other things. It can be overwhelming, but so rewarding! I don't envy you the P part, though, postpartum bored me out of my gourd. I felt like a Percocet Pez dispenser. I much prefer the LDR model of care.