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Discussion

Scared of babies

hello all,

had my 1st day of ob rotation and i find myself scared of babies. we had orientation for most of the shift than about a half hour practice assessment with a well baby newborn. this was a prefect time to practice since it was not in front of the family and it was just the clinical group, instructor and baby in a quiet room. I was petrified, to put it mildly. babies are so tiny and fragile, that having to perform a newborn assessment has me on edge. i'm hesitant and unsure of myself when usually i am very confident. the rest of my classmates seem to be doing just fine and don't seem intimidated at all. i've always skirted around having to hold babies, and when i have, im sitting and have someone just plop the kid in my arms, so this was technically my first time picking up and holding a baby. i was very uncomfortable. my instructor commented that babies can sense that you're scared/uncomfortable/etc and i need to be more confident. well yea obviously, but how the heck do i fake it till i make it?? i am an over achiever, and i already feel like i am doing less than what is expected of me and what i expect of myself; partially because i was so unprofessional with the fear clearly written all over my face, and my classmates breezing through the assessment without hesitation and full of confidence. it also does not help that our lecturing instructor has mentioned numerous times that ob is the most litigious form of nursing, and we better perform 100% in front of the family. talk about pressure! any suggestions??

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    • Featured Replies

    you'll get better at it. it really isn't hard, and they are pretty tough little boogers. if it helps you, think of all the places in the world where babies are born and thrive. they are born on dirt floors, in igloos, they are carried around by siblings only a few years older, they sleep in beds of leaves or straw. and yet they live.

    a normal newborn will survive...you.:D

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    • Experts

    Yep.....fake it til you make it. They are tougher than they look. I was never TRUELY comfortable with handleing babies until I had one. In side I always had the little voice.....ok don't drop it.... Oh, man why do they wriggle so much.......jeeze they are slippey when wet.....yet on the outside I was the picture of poise and grace. It will come....with time. :hug:

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    As other posters have said, babies are NOT really fragile, even if they look like they are. You're not going to hurt them by picking them up. I think what you need is as much exposure to babies as possible, so you can learn for yourself how true this is. Also, a day of observation in a NICU might help -- once you see some babies that truly are tiny and fragile (though even NICU babies are tougher than they look), a normal newborn is going to look huge and indestructible to you.

    Good luck!

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    Just do the best you can while you are there. We had a 4 day rotation at OB/Maternity and it was pretty awkward for me. I am never around babies. I didn't even pick one up while I was on the rotation. I was able to get some cues from those around me that are more experienced with babies - observe the behaviour between the nurses and more comfortable students with handling the babies. I was able to change a babies diaper - with the guidance of the nursery nurse. It was actually easier than I thought it would be. Let your instructor or other nurses know that you are not around babies much, but show enthusiam for learning.

    I also noticed that a couple students had their "favourite" babies. They would pick them up and coo at them. I noticed one day that no one paid much attention to the girl baby. So I walked over to her and lightly stroked her hands or cheek. I wasn't ready to pick her up. But, I wanted to interact with her somehow so she didn't feel lonesome. I was afraid that she would cry if I did try to pick her up, lol!

    So, I guess my advice is to just get through it and enjoy it. I spent most of my times with the mothers because my goal for the rotation was to be more comfortable with patient assessments. On my down time, I did transport a baby back to the nursery (on her crib with wheels), changed that diaper, and interacted with the girl baby who needed attention. If you are allowed to go into the nursery on your own, do so when there is only a couple people around. That way it won't be as awkward. The good news is, the babies are not going to say you are doing anything wrong. So be brave and set some goals to achieve what you want to achieve.

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    Try to hold their head and don't shake them. Other than that, they really are pretty tough little critters.

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    First, relax. Take a deep breath. Exhale.

    Now, keep in mind that the little so'n'so's will bounce if you drop them (don't test this - I was the drop-ee in at least one instance), and yeah, they wiggle. Just cradle 'em & remember to support their heads/necks - people have been doing this for, oh, anywhere between 6 millenia & several million years depending on which version of the story you want to agree with. Nothing complicated. Relax.

    Worry about the lawsuit potential later.

    ----- Dave.

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