Postpartum to L&D...I'm scared/nervous!

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I've been working in postpartum for over a year now and I showed interest in being cross-trained in Labor & Delivery. Well, the opportunity opened and I'm going to be an L&D nurse in a couple weeks. I'm excited but now I've realized....I know NOTHING!! I know I'll be with a preceptor for x amount of weeks but I don't want to go over there completely dumb! Any suggestions on how to have a good orientation?

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Specializes in Home health was tops, 2nd was L&D.

I went into L&D as a new grad,, that was scary but best decision I made.

You will do fine, relax, take deep breaths. Do you still have textbook from school? If so read up on L&D part... if not google L&D and see what you can find..Take a CEU class on L&D..anything to bring up up to date with the field. Since it is very specific you will get lots of training when you get there, Ask lots of questions, ask to do things instead of just watching. Once you help deliver a baby, I imagine you will be come very inspired. Enjoy it, stay on your toes.

Please remember each L&D experience is different but each woman deserves to have best experience possible!! Best of Luck to you! and Congratulations!

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I would study up on L&D drugs and procedures, fetal heart rate monitors, birthing process and complications, as well as mom and baby complications during pegnancy, and I am not sure if the technical term but the contraction monitor. I am not a L&D nurse but that is what I can think of off the top of my head. Remember you are taking care of two patients. Hope you enjoy your new area.:yeah:

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Specializes in PP, Pediatrics, Home Health.

Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions!If you have a maternal textbook from school read over it, you can get a lot of information from the textbook!

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I work in LDRP, so as a new grad I had to learn it all at once, it would be nice to spend a year perfecting PP before going on to L&D; consider yourself at an advantage, you are already experienced! I would suggest taking a fetal monitoring course, buying the AWHONN book and practicing strips. The AWHONN book has everything you need to know in it. Understand that a lot of OB nursing is intuition that comes with time. If you are a hands on learner like me you can use fruit to help learn dilation, this helped when I was fresh out the gates, you can only go up to about 6 cm with a grape fruit (a 6 cm circle piece of the skin cut out) but it gives you an idea; have your nurse trainer stick it in a model pelvis while you close your eyes.

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thanks everyone!! Yup, I'm gonna go blow the dust of my textbooks and start studying again!!

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