What’s mother-baby nursing like?

Published

Specializes in ED, med-surg, peri op.

So long story short I’ve been working in the ER for almost a year and half, and I hate it. I’m finally ready to move on. when looking for jobs I am interested in PACU, ob/gyn, and public health. 

today I saw a job for post natal floor, that I’m considering. I don’t now much about this type of nursing.

What do you do in a normal day? 

pro/cons?

any advice?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OB.

You might find more answers in the OB/GYN forum, but I'll give it a try:

What do you do in a normal day?

Assess and care for moms and babies, who go home fairly quickly after birth--usually just 1-2 days postpartum---so there is constant turnover with discharges and new admissions.  Assist with pain control, breastfeeding, ambulation for c-section patients, tons of teaching on newborn care.  Depending on the resources of the unit, you may also be responsible for a lot of the babies' routine screenings---hearing screen, metabolic screen, congenital heart defect screen, as well as jaundice checks, weight checks.  Some units have techs that do this, and some have the nurses do it.

pros/cons?

Pros--I was less worried about my patients dropping dead on a daily basis than I was on med/surg ?.  Cons--it's pretty fast-paced and can be emotionally/physically exhausting, particularly all the helping with breastfeeding, but in a much better way than say, lugging and tugging 400 lb diabetics up in bed is.

any advice?

If you truly have an interest in perinatal health, go for it!  It's very rewarding.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU and Postpartum.

Please check out this article where a seasoned Mother/Baby (Postpartum) RN breaks down her normal day shift AND night shift. Lots of great insight and advice when it comes to being a Maternal Newborn Nurse. She also discloses her pay and includes a PDF of a great report sheet for Mother-Baby. I wish you all of the BEST!

https://purelypostpartum.com/what-postpartum-nurses-do-and-how-much-they-make/

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

On night shift, it's often like being a very well-paid waitress. One of the reasons I disliked postpartum. I prefer the activity of L&D.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion