The Baby Who Wouldn’t Wait: 3 Lessons for New Labor and Delivery Nurses
Starting a nursing career in labor and delivery (L&D) can be unpredictable. Even when you follow your training, unexpected situations can turn an ordinary shift into a story you will remember for the rest of your career.
In this episode of First Shift, a new nurse learns that lesson firsthand when a routine urinary catheterization turns into an unexpected delivery. Her story is funny in hindsight, but it also offers important lessons about clinical judgment, asking for help, and listening to laboring patients.
A New Nurse’s Unexpected Labor and Delivery Shift
The nurse was still orienting in labor and delivery when her shift began with a challenging delivery. Her first patient experienced a forceps-assisted birth complicated by significant bleeding and a third-degree perineal tear. After the delivery, the mother sat up and fainted, adding another urgent situation for the new nurse to manage.
Her second patient was a multiparous woman at term who had already delivered three children. She had been in labor for approximately 11 hours, had received an epidural, and had experienced rupture of her membranes. Her last cervical examination showed that she was eight centimeters dilated.
When the nurse’s preceptor went to lunch, the new nurse continued her scheduled assessments and documentation. She decided to perform an intermittent urinary catheterization because the patient had received intravenous fluids and had not urinated for some time.
It seemed like a routine task.
But the nurse could not clearly identify the urethral opening. There was mucus and bloody show, and she felt as though she was encountering the baby’s head instead of the expected anatomy.
She tried a second catheter kit, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
When her preceptor returned, the new nurse asked her to try. The preceptor successfully inserted the catheter, and urine began to flow.
Then the patient said something that changed the entire situation:
“I think I feel something coming out.”
The nurse and preceptor quickly realized that the baby was arriving. They called for the medical team, but there was little time to spare. The baby, weighing eight pounds and eight ounces, delivered onto the bed without the mother needing to push.
Fortunately, the baby was fine.
The new nurse later reflected that she was glad she had not successfully inserted the catheter earlier. She joked that if she had accidentally been present for the delivery without expecting it, she might have run away from nursing altogether.
It became a memorable story from her early days in labor and delivery, but it also illustrates several valuable lessons for new nurses.
Lesson 1: Listen When a Patient Says Something Is Happening
Labor and delivery can change quickly. A patient’s condition, labor progress, and symptoms can shift in a short period of time.
When a laboring patient says she feels pressure, something is coming out, or that something has suddenly changed, take the concern seriously. Assess the situation promptly and notify the appropriate members of the healthcare team.
In this story, the patient’s statement was a critical clue that birth was imminent.
For nurses, the lesson is not to assume that a patient’s symptoms are routine simply because the last assessment seemed reassuring. A cervical examination from earlier in the shift does not guarantee that labor has remained unchanged.
Nursing takeaway: Listen to the patient, reassess when symptoms change, and escalate concerns promptly.
Lesson 2: Asking for Help Is Good Clinical Judgment
The new nurse tried the catheterization, recognized that she was having difficulty, and asked her preceptor to take over.
That was not a failure. It was an appropriate decision to seek assistance.
New nurses are still developing their clinical skills, and even experienced nurses encounter situations that require a second set of eyes or additional support. Recognizing your limits and asking for help can prevent complications and improve patient safety.
A strong nurse is not someone who knows how to do everything independently. A strong nurse knows when to pause, reassess, and involve someone with the experience or expertise needed.
Useful phrases for new nurses include:
- “I’m having difficulty with this procedure. Can you assess the patient with me?”
- “Something seems different from my previous assessment. Can you take a look?”
- “I’m concerned about this change and would like additional help.”
In this case, asking her preceptor to try the catheterization created an opportunity for another clinician to assess the situation. The unexpected delivery followed almost immediately.
Nursing takeaway: Asking for help is a patient-safety skill, not a sign of weakness.
Lesson 3: Learn From Unexpected Moments Without Losing Confidence
A new nurse’s early experiences can be intense, particularly in a specialty where events may progress quickly and unpredictably.
Some shifts go according to plan. Others become stories that nurses tell for years.
The key is learning from those experiences without allowing one difficult or surprising moment to define your entire career. Reflect on what happened, consider what you learned, and discuss any questions with your preceptor or clinical team.
Humor can also help nurses process the unexpected, as long as it does not minimize a patient’s experience or compromise patient privacy.
In this story, the baby was fine, and the nurse was able to look back on the experience with humor. What initially felt overwhelming eventually became a memorable lesson from her early nursing career.
Nursing takeaway: You do not have to be perfect to become a capable nurse. You need to keep learning, recognize when you need support, and return ready to grow.
What Nursing Students Should Remember About Unexpected Deliveries
Although this story is lighthearted, an unexpectedly imminent birth requires a prompt and coordinated response.
If a laboring patient reports new pressure or a sensation that something is coming out, the nurse should promptly assess the patient, summon the appropriate clinical team, and follow the facility’s procedures for an imminent delivery. The nurse should not delay escalation while attempting to finish a routine task.
Urinary catheterization should also be performed only when clinically indicated and with appropriate assessment and technique. If the anatomy cannot be identified or the procedure is unexpectedly difficult, the nurse should stop and seek assistance rather than continuing repeated attempts without reassessment.
These principles apply well beyond labor and delivery. Across nursing specialties, changes in a patient’s condition require attention, sound clinical judgment, and timely communication.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
The baby who wouldn’t wait gave this new nurse a story she would remember for years. More importantly, it reminds us that nursing rarely unfolds exactly as expected.
When you’re new to the profession, you may worry about making mistakes, asking too many questions, or not being prepared for every situation. But becoming a good nurse is a process. It involves building skills, recognizing your limits, listening to patients, and learning from the people around you.
Remember these three lessons:
- Listen carefully when patients report a change in how they feel.
- Ask for help when a situation is unfamiliar or something does not seem right.
- Learn from difficult or unexpected experiences without letting them undermine your confidence.
Nobody does this job alone. You do not have to know everything on your first shift, and you do not have to handle every challenge without support.
Keep learning, keep asking questions, and keep showing up. You will gain experience one shift at a time.
