OB nursing

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I am finally a senior and ready to graduate. Now that I have to make a final decision I am getting a little worried. I want to make sure that I make the right decisions. I have a question for all the nurses on this board who are also mothers and would appreciate any advice. Thanks so much!

1. Since you know so much about nursing did it hinder your experience when you had your children. Were you overly stressed out etc. because you knew most everything or did you find it to be a whole new experience and your experience as a nurse did not hinder anything? Also do you get so use to labor and delivery that your own didn't seem special?

*This may be a silly question for some but I was just wondering because this is something I think about*

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When my kids were born I wasn't "officialy" in nursing school, BUT I had done my prereqs and as far as I'm concerned it HELPED since I didn't have to deal with the "fear factor" of not knowing the heck is going on. I was labor coach for a friend and she was petrified of everything they were doing because she didn't know why...I think ignorance is what causes stress in these situations.

NOW When my youngest had problems - because I knew what was up - THEN I was stressed where as if I'd been medically "ignorant" I wouldn't really have noticed (I picked up on things, subtle things, that most moms wouldn't see).

I hope that was what you were looking for :D

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Specializes in MS Home Health.

I was not a nurse when I had them but I realized just how dumb I was after I became one. The knowledge would have helped me a great deal. I went to school when they were all small.

renerian

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

yes being an OB nurse made such that i had "too much information." I was an OB nurse w/2nd pregnancy. NOT with 1st. The 1st was much more worry-free for me. I worried EVERYThing w/Katie. Partly cause I was a nurse, partly cause my 1st had a birth defect and came 6 weeks early. Too much information it was for me. But sometimes, it's good...and it is fun to have eveyrone practice U/S skills on me! And I have monitor strips for my baby book. so there ARE advantages!

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

I think it sort of depends on your personality as a whole. For myself, there have been many, many times that I wished I hadn't had the knowledge that I have. Not that I know everything....far from it, but the things I do know get me all worked up over nothing sometimes.

Take my current situation for example, having placenta previa. I have read too much, & I know the life threatening complications that can happen. Good thing? Well, yes & no. Yes, because I know I really need to follow the doctor's orders, yes because I know when to seek treatment immediately. No because I worry soooo much that I end up with serious anxiety, crying jags, etc.

Now on the other hand, when it comes to my kids I am a little more soothed by the things I know. Knowing how to deal with bleeding or swallowed nickels (yes my daughter did this once) or the bumps, bruises and scrapes of childhood relaxes me a little bit. Like nurseshell said, I am able to pick up on little things if something is really wrong. I can understand what she was saying about being stressed by that, but for me just knowing that I'll probably be able to catch things early gives me a little relief.

Lou

Convicted of placenta previa & serving time on couch arrest ~ Day 25

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Specializes in OB Labor & Delivery/PP/Nursery/Hospice.

Yes, IGNORANCE is BLISS!!!

~Jackie

P.S. I drove my OB doc nuts calling and asking all these medical questions that "could" have been, but were not. (thank God). Every symptom, I matched up to some complication. Just like when we all went through psych-nursing.

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Specializes in NICU, L&D, OB, Home Health, Management.

I was a nurse before I had either of my children and it was a help and a hinderance. The night I and a friend sat thumbing thru an OLD Williams(the one with the horrid pictures) I thought my obstetrician would shoot me - my BP wen t sky high and my friend starting C/O cramping.

When the kids were hurt I became a mother not a nurse - my kids are witnesseses to that. But, it did help with their cousins and friends - I have bandaged, iced, cleaned, etc more cross country/track runners wounds than I care to think about.

It also was helpful when my sisters were PG.

Hope this helps.

Linda

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Specializes in Women's health & post-partum.

I gave my peds textbook away when I was pregnant with my first (I kept reading all the "bad" things). I have, of course, since wished I'd kept it!

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Im not a mom yet so I cant comment on OB specifically, but since I started nursing school I have developed white coat hypertension!!!!!!!! I get so mad at myself!! Last Dr visit, GYN she got so excited because my BP was 160/80 or something, and I went to my MILs 10 min away and borrowed her cuff it had dropped 35 pts....15 minutes more it was 109/73,,,my normal. So in my case ignorance was bliss.

Laura

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