How to Become a
Labor and Delivery Nurse

1. Understand the job duties/responsibilities

Labor and delivery nurses care for pregnant women, assist in the delivery of babies, and provide postpartum care. They work with obstetricians, gynecologists, OB/GYNs and other healthcare providers to ensure both the mother’s and baby’s needs are met.

Labor and delivery nurses focus on the health and well-being of mothers and their babies. L&D nurses provide education and support for expectant mothers during pregnancy, and provide nursing care during labor and after the birth of the baby

Key duties and responsibilities

During pregnancy:

• Monitor mother and baby during pregnancy and work with doctors and other healthcare professionals to develop an individualized plan of care
• Order prenatal panel lab tests (such as glucose levels and blood type and Rh factor)
• Teach expectant and new mothers about women’s health and newborn care
• Provide mothers with information on what to expect during different stages of pregnancy
• Evaluate the effectiveness of care and meet the changing needs of the mother, newborn and additional family
• Provide educational and emotional support during the pregnancy

During and after labor:

• Monitor and time contractions during labor and delivery
• Administer epidurals and other medications to help mothers manage pain during labor
• Assist the doctor and medical staff in inducing labor
• Monitor the vital signs of the mother and the heart rate of the baby
• Provide support, encouragement and comfort throughout the labor
• Identify complications that may occur during labor (for example, from medications given to help)
• Prepare for planned or emergency cesarean (c-section) deliveries
• Coach mothers on breastfeeding and newborn care

In addition to these skills, it’s important for L&D nurses to have traits such as compassion, patience and empathy in order to best support their patients. L&D nurses must also have the ability to stay calm and think critically, so they can effectively communicate information to the doctors and team.

Labor and delivery nurse vs. midwife

Labor and delivery nurses and midwives share similar credentials and duties: both are RNs and both care for expectant mothers during pregnancy and up through childbirth and beyond. However, midwives have additional education requirements, including:

• Nurse midwife certification
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Where do labor and delivery nurses work?

While labor and delivery nurses typically work in the delivery room or maternity ward in hospitals, they may also work in birthing centers, maternal-fetal medicine clinics, physician offices or teaching hospitals. In a hospital or clinic, L&D nurses work first, second and third shifts, while nurses who work in a physician’s office may work more regular 9-to-5 hours.

4. Earn experience and get certified

After you have become a licensed RN, it’s important to gain experience working as a labor and delivery nurse. As you begin your nursing career, you may act as an assistant to more senior nurses and receive on-the-job training in specific L&D areas, such as high-risk pregnancies. Additionally, you may also work with certified nursing assistants (CNA) and help guide them in their daily tasks.

After you have earned two years of experience working, you can continue to grow your career with a specialized certification, such as the RNC-OB.

The Inpatient Obstetric Nursing (RNC-OB) certification is popular for L&D nurses. It was designed for obstetrical registered nurses who care for women during pregnancy, as well as postpartum and newborn periods. L&D nurses who have an RNC-OB certification have demonstrated advanced knowledge of fetal assessment, pregnancy complications, labor and delivery, recovery, postpartum and newborn care.

To earn the RNC-OB certification, you will need two years’ experience working in obstetric, gynecologic, or neonatal nursing and successfully pass the RNC-OB exam.