Hi! I am Addie and I am a high risk OB nurse and momma to one crazy 18 month old boy. I worked in Labor and Delivery for 2 years and then switched over to Maternal Fetal Medicine, as a high risk OB nurse after having my first baby. I loved delivering babies, but wanted to have a more flexible schedule with our new little family. I now work a couple days a week and spend the rest of my days at the playground, cleaning up spills and running after my speedy 1 year old. There is nothing more special than motherhood, and I feel so lucky to share that with my patients.
Can you tell us a bit about your job? What do you do as a high-risk OB nurse?
Maternal Fetal Medicine is a clinic for pregnant women who have high risk pregnancies. Some qualifications that make you high risk could be: diabetes, IUGR (small baby), IVF pregnancy, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, history of a still born, BMI >40 and advanced maternal age, to name a few. We monitor your pregnancy closer than a normal healthy pregnancy and make sure baby is progressing. What I do specifically is called a non-stress test. I use an ultrasound to monitor your babies heart rate and check the fluid around your baby in utero. I will monitor your baby for 20 minutes and make sure their heart rate is reactive. This is a good indication of how well oxygenated your baby is. I love chatting with my patients and hearing all of the fun baby names they come up with. It truly is such a fulfilling job getting to be apart of their pregnancy journey.
How did you decide you wanted to work in this field?
I started working in L&D as a scrub tech right after I graduated high school. I fell in love with taking care of moms and babies. During nursing school I tried out tons of different types of nursing and my heart was always drawn back to women’s health. All of my friends know that I could talk about pregnancy, labor and postpartum for hours if they let me. Working in the clinic has allowed me to continue to fuel this passion while primarily being home with my little boy, my real dream job!
How does care for high-risk pregnancies differ from standard prenatal care?
Some of my patients have 3 appointments a week, one with their OB and two at my clinic. Normal pregnancies usually only have appointments once a month and then weekly as your pregnancy gets closer to delivery. We monitor our patients a lot more than the average pregnancy, because they are high risk for fetal demise. Although I have seen some really hard outcomes, the majority of the time I get to see the happy outcomes of a long pregnancy.
How do you support the emotional well-being / mental health of parents navigating a high-risk pregnancy?
I personally like to sit down with each patient and talk about their emotional well being as I use the ultrasound. I think it is so important for these women to be heard, even when we can’t necessarily do anything for them. They need a friend or nurse who understands the stress and hardship of a high risk pregnancy.
What are some of the best parts of working as a high-risk OB nurse?
I love learning from the ultrasonographers, nurses and doctors that I work with. I feel like I learn something new every day at work. I also love that I can help other women with my knowledge outside of my work. I have had multiple close friends and family members go through high risk pregnancies and I was so grateful I could help reassure them and be there for them. I also just love my patients. I usually get to be apart of their lives from 32 weeks until delivery and we usually create a special bond. Being a nurse is the best.
What are your favorite products at Copper Pearl?
I have used the binky clips for my little boy since day one. They are easy to clean and so cute! I also love their soft fabric. My son has really sensitive skin and their fabric has been one of the only things that doesn’t irritate his skin.
