Career Corner >> Career Advice >> OB--babies are beautiful
OB--babies are beautiful
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Posted 4 months ago Working with babies is something that takes a special kind of person. Any of you out there that have already done this....is it hard when a baby dies? Does it ever get any easier? How do you cope with this? |
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| Posted 4 months ago I have worked in peds for about 13 years now. I could not imagine not working with babies. I good far out weighs the bad. No, it is never easy to loose a patient, baby or adult. You just kind of compartmentalize until you are alone or away from the family members befoer you break down. I have spent many a day fighting tears. Sometimes I win, sometimes it's good to cry and comfort the parents. I think it makes us "more human" to our patients. So many times we are "the professional" and look so stiff and inapproachable. Shan :0) |
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| Posted 3 months ago I dont work with peds/OB but I do work on a primarily geriatric med/surg floor and I must say I ask that same question. I just started nursing 2 years ago and every time I have a patient pass away I cant help but to cry. I always wanted to work in OB but now working with the adult population, and seeing how hard it was for me to learn to cope with the elderly dying, I dont know if I could handle a baby dying. They dont even get to experience life. However, when I look back on my very first experience of a patient dying it took me like a week to get over it. I would review the events over and over and over however as the time passes and the more deaths that I have seen it has gotten easier. My last one I cried but was able to say to my self there in a better place and by the time my shift was over I was able to leave hospital stuff at the hospital and go home and be happy and greatful for what I have and it just makes you appreciate life that much more. |
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| Posted 2 months ago I was a labor and delivery nurse about 15 years. Too much stress, consider home health for OB. I worked for a company that saw OB patients either in early labor or multiple births. I did T-pumps and NST's at home. It was nice and comfortable. Many more home health agencies are going into this field. It does get hard when you have bad outcomes in this department. I remember one delivery, the doctor of course did not make it for the delivery and I was all alone, the husband fainted as the baby emerged I today the patient not to push but she did anyways the baby came flying out, I remember grabbing at legs and arms as the baby headed down, luckily I was able to get a grip or we would have had a lower apgar. Not funny, it was either laugh or cry, all was well healthy baby the father got 4 stitches however. The stories we could all tell! A busy RN is here |
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| Posted about 1 month ago I work in the neonatal intensive care. (you are really getting a response from all areas :) ) I've definately witnessed many babies die. And as the others said, it never really gets easier...and if it does maybe its time to quit. You absolutely need to be uneasy about it. I think the parents need to see your tears and know its ok for them to cry too. (obviously don't be a hysteric, you need to be the strong one, and maintain some professionalism while comforting the family.) Some parents may not have ever had the opportunity to hold their baby, or pick a name, etc... and because of that among other things- many parents distance themselves from their babies in the NICU, and have a hard time thinking of them as THEIR baby. As Shan4691 said, letting them see you cry makes you appear 'more human' As far as coping goes....I think its a variety of things. For me personally, after a rough day like that, I fall back on God and just pray a lot. I truly believe there is a reason for everything, so I just pray for the families. The other thing that really helps me cope in general, is that we do so much good! There are so many little ones that struggle and fight to survive.. and we get to help them. We get to be a major player in their care until they go home to their parents. It is so rewarding! A lot of NICU's have reunion parties once a year... seeing the 1 pound babies come back weighing 20lbs is unbelievable! Its so nice to see how they have grown!
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| Posted about 1 month ago I am so glad that there are those of you who can work in this area. It is not for me. Ginny |
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| Posted 29 days ago I think I would like OB |
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| Posted 27 days ago I know that being an ob is something that i want to do. I am just now going into lpn and at this stage of nursing i dont know if i could handle it when a baby dies. But i am hoping that through the program i will be able to learn the skills to be able to cope with the down side of a career that i know i will love doing. |
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| Posted 27 days ago I would LOVE to work labor and delivery, but not so much in the nursery. I LOVE babies, so don't get me wrong. I just think that I'd be a better influence serving new moms. In my clinical rotation we had a baby born with amniotic band syndrome. The child actually got very lucky though, because only his hands were affected. Babies affected by this are usually not very lucky, as it affects more of the abdomen and cephalic region from what I'd read. The mom still had a very difficult time dealing with it. I don't know that I'd be very capable of dealing with neonatal death...I had a hard enough time dealing with geriatrics myself. |