Are You Sure You Want To Stick With L&D?

I always get this question from well meaning friends and colleagues.

November 2013, our Pediatrics unit closed. The staff had scattered. Some went to Oakland and remained Pedi nurses, some went to the clinics, some to Mom and Baby and some, including me went to L&D. To be totally honest it wasn't my first choice but around that time my major concern was to keep my job. For me personally I was praying for the best and hoping wherever I end up I'd be thriving and still practicing nursing. I didn't realize then that I'd be learning a new skill that I would learn to love. Others were just biding time, waiting for positions they really were hoping for. Me, I'm just glad I have a job. L&D was a pleasant surprise. Never in my wildest dreams would I have chosen L&D right off the bat. As a student way back when, my L&D rotation wasn't really one of my favorites.

Maybe I got lucky with wonderful co workers and awesome mentors for I have learned to love what I do now. Sure it's often times back breaking, feet aching, adrenaline running time, but I like it. I often get questions from former colleagues "aren't you transferring out of L&D? Maybe go train in NICU?" That was the common assumption of a transition path. From Pedi to NICU. Which should have been a more logical move since NICU is my float area already. My answer, I'll stick with L&D. Sure, we're almost always understaffed, missed meals and breaks but I have learned to love the people and the craft. If you break it down really, L&D is like a buffet for nursing. You have the triage area where you end up being like an ER nurse from the influx of patients coming in to be seen right away. You do advice calls there too so that's like advice nurses in the call centers do. Then we have the actual L&D area, mind you, aside from laboring patients, you practice med surg too from the different conditions expectant mothers already have before and during pregnancy. And then you have the OR for your CS. You get to circulate. Oh I forgot to mention, you take care of babies too. The newborns. You get to be their first nurse.. from the varieties of roles you play in L&D it's like you're almost trying it all. But the best part? You get to welcome miracles. The miracle of life. You get to help these families welcome their most awaited bundle of joy. Once you see the smiles, the joy of the new family, all the other crappy part of the job just gets forgotten. I may have started as a Pedi nurse (I still am at heart) but I am an L&D nurse now and I'm loving it!

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