Husker_RN82

I'm the only male nurse on my L&D/PP unit. No male providers.

I really like where you are going with this post. I hope there are a lot of good suggestions. I also wondered this during my wife's pregnancies/deliveries and also when I started working in the setting. Things for bringing it up!!!

Ok, so I'm a newer nurse on an L&D/PP floor. I've had a number of encounters where patients have asked for help with breastfeeding. I am fairly knowledgeable about it and can usually successfully talk them through it. However, there are sometimes when the women need more of a "hands on" approach and I'm not sure how to go about it. I usually grab one of the other nurses. I don't have a problem touching their breast to demonstrate (its just a breast), I'm just not sure how to go about it. It feels weird saying "is it ok to touch your breast," especially with the husband right there. Any suggestions/tips? Thanks HRN

OB nurse here. I work at a pretty busy L&D/PP (80-100 deliveries/month) unit for the military. Overall, I've been very well received by both patients, family and staff. I do vag exams, peri and breast care, breast feeding, etc. All the more "intimate" things and haven't had a patient refuse my help. For the most part, if you maintain your professionalism and show that you are caring and competent, i don't think a lot of women care what sex their nurse is. I really enjoy the field and hope to see more guys in the future. Best of luck to you!

Best of luck to you! I also will be starting work as an L & D/PP nurse in a couple of months. I am in the Air Force, so I don't know if that helped with getting into OB as a man, but its what I wanted to do, so I wasn't going to give up on it. From my experience during school, the issues with men in OB seemed to come from the nurses and instructors and very little, if any, push-back from the patients. I felt very well received by my patients and their families, which further pushed me to continue my path towards OB. I think having more men in OB will have a very positive impact on OB nursing as a whole. I too hope to clear a path for fellow men everywhere who may have been dissuaded to work in this field. Again, best of luck to you!!! HRN