A maternity nurse job is one of the most highly-paid nurse jobs around. The reason for this is the twenty-four hour workday. Maternity nurses are nurses dedicated to provide primary care and assistance, in every possible aspect, to mothers who have recently given birth and to their newborn babies as well. Apparently, such a responsibility requires them to stay with the mother and the baby at all times and all throughout the term of their service. Mostly, the service is up until the mother has fully recovered and is already able to take care of her baby completely. The duration can change based on the mother's specific condition. Some mothers may recover faster from childbirth, and some may be exhausted for longer periods. Mothers who have undergone caesarean operation also need more time to recover, and in such cases, maternity nurses play a very important role.
Maternity nurse jobs comprise a totally different area of discipline. It is not about caring for the sick. The needs of new mothers and newborn babies are different. Most of the time, maternity nurses are usually experienced nannies or registered nurses. Although it is not always considered as an area of specialization, maternity nurses require different knowledge and skills than that of practice nurses or clinical nurses. Maternity nurses are also required to invest more dedication and commitment to their charges. This is because they will be required to stay with their patients twenty-four hours a day. This is not typically required from other forms of nurse jobs.
But of course, the higher level of commitment that is required from maternity nurses is balanced with the right amount of compensation. Maternity nurses are highly paid. The compensation for being a maternity nurse depends on her level. Maternity nurses usually go through a training period, before moving on to an experienced stage. As can be expected, the experience maternity nurses get paid more than the maternity nurses under training. However, the compensation of maternity nurses, training or experienced, are quite competitive as compared to other nurse jobs. Of course, the financial benefits can also change based on the case that a maternity nurse is handling. Some maternity nurses may be assigned to a mother who just had twins. In such cases, the maternity nurse will be paid more.
The primary responsibilities of a maternity nurse if to provide care and assistance to the new mother or the mother undergoing recovery, and to take care of the baby while the mother is unable to do so. Maternity nurse jobs involve assistance while the mother learns how to breastfeed, and knowledge when it comes to bottle-feeding, bathing, handling of the baby, and other like tasks. Maternity nurses usually stay long after the birth of the baby, especially when their charges are first-time mothers. This is because mothers are usually exhausted both mentally and physically after childbirth, and are expectedly worried about the new responsibilities of child-caring that they are now faced. Having an expert at hand will surely help a lot to ease those tired nerves and to make the mothers feel assured and at ease.
Aside from providing care, the maternity nurse is also responsible for the maintenance of the primary environment of both the mother and the baby. This entails washing and sterilizing the bottles, organizing the things that belong to the baby, and preparing meals.
Maternity nurses should also be emphatic enough to understand what the mother is going through. They should be sensitive enough to handle the mother's needs, especially during the sensitive time that follows childbirth. Maternity nurse is, in every way that you look at it, a job that calls for total dedication.
