Hello, all!!

I'm new here and new to OB nursing. I've been an RN for almost 4 years now but
have mostly worked in Rehab and Skilled Nursing.

I've wanted to work with pregnant/laboring/postpartum and lactating women for
almost 2 decades now. Now I have the chance.

I work at a local hospital in  Memphis, TN as a Labor & Delivery nurse and
will have cross training in the nursery and postpartum. Someday, if I can ever
get enough patient contact hours, I'd like to become a lactation consultant.

When I had my first child almost 18 years ago, breastfeeding was the way to go
for me. I lived in a small town in South Carolina and the closest
breastfeeding support group was clearly almost an hours' drive away. I quickly
made friends in my town who were breastfeeding their babies and the long drive
to a support group for us got old. So........I started a breastfeeding support
group of my own and loaned out some of my few breastfeeding books and just
started my own discussion groups. It went well for about a year and a half, at
which time I had weaned my son. But my interest never died down. I quit the
group as I went to school and eventually worked for a local pediatrician and
even though I was not a nurse, that doctor let me counsel his breastfeeding
patients' mothers!!  How exciting.

Time went on and I finally was able to finish nursing school and now I find I
working in labor and delivery and postpartum. My contact with potential
breastfeeding mothers is not much, but what contact I can have, will be
exciting for me.

I look forward to hearing the discussion that goes on here and hope to gain
some insight and wisdom in dealing with and teaching my patients.

Vickie I. Heup, RN and studying to be a Certified Childbirth Educator