Maternity nursing is a nursing course that prepares nursing students to become maternity nurses. Nurses provide important services to their patients. The college courses that nurses take prepare them for their demanding jobs in the healthcare field. Maternity nursing courses prepare nursing students to work with mothers and their infants in an intensive working environment. Those who want to work in maternity nursing must have a high level of specific skills in order to perform their jobs.
What is Maternity Nursing?
The skills that nursing students learn in this course prepare them with a high level of specialized skills. Maternity nurses provide both pre-birth and post-birth care for mothers and their newborn babies. Nursing students receive training to prepare them to help mothers and their families know what to expect throughout the pregnancy. Nurses provide mothers with caring for their babies and themselves after delivery.
Maternity nurses also care for those who suffer miscarriages and those who choose abortion. They provide these women with assistance to care for themselves. Maternity nursing courses also train nursing students in medication administration for patients. Other skills learned include identifying sign of complications during delivery, checking the patient’s vital signs, checking the patient’s dilation level, and evaluating and managing pain.
A maternity nurse is there for the mother and baby throughout all stages of pregnancy. They provide specialized care to the patients and their families to help them prepare for each stage of pregnancy and the future ahead.
How a Labor and Delivery Nurse Uses Maternity Nursing on the Job
Labor and delivery nurses use the skills learned in their courses to care for mothers and their newborns. Their concern is not only the physical well-being of their patients; they also provide emotional care for their patients. Labor and delivery nurses use their skills to help the mothers learn the best was to dress, feed, and change the babies. They also use the skills they learn to help mothers wash their babies and feel a high level of comfort when holding their babies. Labor and nurse pass their knowledge on to mothers to help them determine the pros and cons of various baby-related issues.
Labor and delivery nurses use their skills to identify the appropriate technology and tools needed for a successful delivery. They also must understand how to read monitors and reports as well as perform certain procedures to maintain the good health of the mother and baby. Labor and delivery nurses also learn how to monitor the mother and baby during all stages of the pregnancy and report any changes to the head nurse and doctor.
They must also use the skills learned in their maternity nursing course to make sure that the baby and the mother are healthy enough to leave the hospital and go home. Nurses must have the skills to identify the signs of problems and possible future complications that can be detrimental to the mother and baby.
How to Study for Maternity Nursing–Recommended Study Guide
A lot of material is covered in maternity nursing in such a short time. In order to be able to filter through what material is important and what is not, it is necessary to use a study guide. Study guides help break down the material for you and is helpful in determining what questions will be likely asked on an exam by your professor.
A great study guide to use for Maternity Nursing is by Mary Ann Hogan called “Prentice Hall Nursing Reviews & Rationals: Maternal-Newborn Nursing“. Here is what it looks like:
Tips on How to Study for Maternity Nursing in Nursing School
Studying is very important in nursing school. Nursing students must find the time to study if they plan to succeed in the field of nursing. It is also very important to study the appropriate information and not waste time with useless study materials. Here are a few suggestions that can help nursing students study for the maternity nursing course.
- Join a nursing organization. Those who participate in professional organizations may have additional study tools that they need to succeed. In addition to study material, nursing students may be able to attend workshops, test prep courses, and other activities that are only for members of the organization.
- Use visual and auditory assistance. Recorders and manipulatives provide students with excellent way to help them study. It is a good idea to utilize a variety of study methods and not just rely on writing notes if nursing students expect to do well in this course.
- Volunteer in maternity wards. One of the best ways to learn about maternity nursing course content is to volunteer in a hospital. The hands-on aspect of the course will provide students with additional assistance that will help them do well in the course.
Maternity nursing requires a great deal of skill and dedication in the job. These nurses must not only care for the mother and her baby but the family of these patients as well. Emotional and physical support is at the heart of maternity nursing. The maternity nursing course offers the tools that nursing students need to become great nurses.