Nurse-midwives, L&D nurses, doulas, etc etc

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Ever since I was about 16 (I'm 20 now) I knew that I wanted to do birth work. Now I've got my eyes set on labor and delivery, and eventually being a CNM. I accept the fact that I may change my mind once I start clinicals this semester, but so far I really feel like this is the path for me. I've been happily following tons of midwife and L&D nurse blogs and reading books about midwifery and attending talks by birth workers and I'm planning on doing the process for doula certification next year and I hope this run-on sentence conveys how excited I am about all of this!

So if any birth workers among us want to share: what inspired you to do this work, what you love about your work, what gets you down about your work, anything! I'd love to read about your experiences, as a student one of my favorite things ever is to listen to more experienced nurses talk about what they do :)

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Well I'm not an experienced OB personel, but I just finished my OB rotation last Spring, and I share the same passion as you! At first, when I had not any clinical experience, I had my mind set on Peds (which I start this semester), but after my OB clinical, I fell in love. From the support you give to the EFM monitors you read, I loved it all.

It was the things I experienced that I will never forget, and that is why I know, if I ever landed a job in OB nursing, I would never leave. I'll never forget that first head I saw to my first emergency cesarean. The feelings were wonderful! Although I could only help so much, I was hungry for more experience so I could be the nurse to support that women in that terrifying moment in getting a cesarean. I never experienced a bad turnout in my rotation, but I feel I could be the person to help those patients through that difficult time. Sorry for such the gushy purge of feelings, I hope you feel the same though!

Best of luck!

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haha I love gushy feeling purges. I meant it when I said I love hearing other nurses talk about their jobs! :)

I guess I should've said since this is the student section, but anyone who isn't necessarily a nurse but has done an OB rotation or any other kind of pre-RN experience, I'd love to hear from you as well!!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

I am a scrub tech in L&D. We only have approx. 1 c-section per day so when I'm not in the OR I work the labor floor. I've been there 5 years and I love it. I start my nursing program in August and I am hoping that when I graduate I will get a labor position.

It seems very feast or famine. Everyone is sitting around twiddling their thumbs for the last 11 hours and suddenly you have 3 walk-ins rushing through the door at the same time. I love watching my nurses spring into action. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by just how much knowledge and instinct they possess. Knowing just what to do and when. I wonder if I'll ever get to that point.

Since I am a tech my job is more about getting the OR ready, being a supply runner, setting up delivery tables, assisting patients to the bathroom, and writing down information/times/procedures and such.

The other departments at my hospital joke about L&D being the princess department but I have never met such hard working women who pull together when needed. But I'm sure everyone who loves their department feels the same.

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One of the main reasons why I am going back to nursing school to be midwife - to give women back the control they desire and should have. Yes, there are emergencies that show up - but i am a firm believer that most women are not included in their care and do not understand the what's and why's and how situations arise - most of the care is happening to them and they don;t understand how they got to that point which leads to dissatisfaction for many involved as well as Mom's that are not as properly empowered as they should be.

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Right on! I feel the same way. I really, really want to see more of an empowerment model brought into hospital births

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YES! I agree with alovelymother, about nurses and "how much knowledge and instinct they possess. Knowing just what to do and when." That is also why I loved L&D. The nurses are like ER nurses, in that they have to act ASAP when something has changed, and act fast. When you are in those situations, you get to do a lot more with the patient based on your knowledge because the doctor may have 4 other patients delivering at that moment, so they cannot always be there. This gives the nurse more responsibility in reacting to changing variables.

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Specializes in L&D.

I haven't had my OB rotation yet(that's this Fall), but I would also like to work in L&D and eventually be a CNM. I LOVE labor..I love babies too, but I am really all about the women. I don't even know if I could describe what or why, but it's just something I know I want to do.

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