27 things I’ve Learned in 27 years as a Mother-Baby Nurse
KU School of Nursing, Senior pic circa 1996
Well, I’ve got to admit—speaking the number 27 as the years I’ve been a nurse sounds super crazy to me. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was the “new” nurse (or “whippersnapper” as one of my older coworkers used to call me). My career is one of the most important things to me aside from my family and it is not lost on me that not everyone can say that. I was told early on there would never be a chance you can work labor and delivery without first getting some general nursing experience. As they say, never say never. I jumped right in that May of 1996 as a very eager, very excited, and very frightened brand new nurse. And I have stayed in the exact same hospital, the exact same unit, with many of the exact same people for the past 27 years. However, I am no longer a young, naive 22 year old who had never given birth before while trying to help laboring moms through their birthing experience. I laugh when I think about all I did not know. And I smile at the blessing of all I have learned in the last 27 years from those older and now those younger than me nurses. In no particular order, what I’ve learned as a labor, delivery, postpartum, and nursery nurse and now lactation consultant the last 27 years…
KU School of Nursing was hard. Hard to get into, and honestly—hard to get out of! Haha! As much as I was prepared for many of the tactical skills and passing my boards—the biggest, most important test a nurse will ever endure, the majority of everything I know was learned on the job.
Along those same lines, much of what I learned was through mistakes and learning to do better and be better.
A laboring mom with a full bladder will not deliver as quickly as a laboring mom who keeps her bladder empty. (Another lesson I learned the hard way—-thank you, Rozann!)
Helping a mom breathe through contractions and keep control is one of my greatest joys. Epidurals weren’t as easy to come by in my early career, so this was an important part of my job as a labor nurse.
It is a game-changer when trust is gained from your co-workers and the physicians you work with.
Trust takes a LONG time to build and maintain.
There will be tears as you learn. And there will be tears after you’ve learned.
Labor and delivery is the happiest place on earth the majority of the time.
Labor and delivery can be the saddest place on earth sometimes.
Babies want to live. I would resuscitate a baby EVERY day if given the choice between that and an adult.
Speaking of resuscitation, 90% of the time all a baby needs is a little bit of oxygen.
Helping a mom breastfeed was hard when I was learning. My back has never hurt so much leaning over a mom trying to get a baby to nurse. Wish I knew then what I know now!!
Prying a baby’s mouth open to breastfeed is never a good idea.
Never assume who is who in the room. Sometimes that guy you called “grandpa” is actually “dad”. (oops!)
Nightshift nurses are their own breed. I was one for many years and we are funny—just ask us.
Belly laughs happen at 4:00 am in the morning, and it won’t sound funny at all when you try to re-tell the story the next day.
Stadol is good stuff and has helped many of my laboring moms relax and deliver quickly! Be ready!
You should never feel comfortable as a nurse. A little bit of anxiety goes a long way in making sure you’re giving the best care to your patients.
The minute you feel comfortable, something will make you feel uncomfortable. Embrace the discomfort, it makes you a better nurse.
Delivering a baby without the doctor is going to happen. It is not something we ever want to do. However, it is important our patients know we’re not scared and can confidently take care of them. This takes some time. I have never yelled as loudly as I did when I delivered my first baby. “Somebody help me!” I learned quickly this was not an appropriate way to care for my patients. It was room 4. I’ll never forget it and have never yelled like that ever again.
I could work and recover easily from a double shift for about my first 15 years—not so much now.
I started out working a 40 hour week (8 hour shifts). Switching to 12 hour shifts gave me new life and more time at home.
The blessing of working PRN (as needed) while my babies were little is not something every profession allows. Work became like a mini-vacation for me that I looked forward to.
I became a better mother-baby nurse after I became a mom and went through my own labor experiences.
I became a better breastfeeding educator after I breastfed my own babies.
Birth is a miracle.
And finally, I can say with all certainty, this was the path God chose for me and I would never change a thing.
Thank you to all of the mother-baby nurses who have crossed my path and taught me along the way. As I write this, I am remembering a precious nurse who took me under her wing when I first began. I grew to love Sue and trusted her fully. Sue went to be with Jesus this week and I know she has settled right in rocking some babies…
