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Maternal-child nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who specialize in the treatment of both childbearing women and their offspring. A maternal-child nurse will be responsible for hands-on treatment of women during the prenatal and postnatal phase, as well as the children that they deliver. Fostering a healthy relationship between mother and child is also an important duty of a maternal-child nurse. This field of nursing encompasses aspects of gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics.
Maternal-child nurses work in a wide variety of medical facilities. Some will be employed by pediatricians in a private practice, while others may wish to work in a hospital setting. Postnatal wards are the most common places to hire maternal-child nurses. There, a nurse will care for a mother during her postnatal recovery, as well care for her child in the nursery. It is in a postnatal ward that a maternal-child nurse will help mother and child bond, assisting in feedings and sleeping arrangements as needed.
The field of maternal-child nursing is largely composed of women, although there has been a surge of male nurses entering the field in recent years. As this is an advance level of nursing, those in this field are usually compensated well with a salary above the national average. The shortage of nurses in the U.S. also indicates that maternal-child nurses will earn even more in the future. However, many nurses specialize in this field because they enjoy facilitating healthy lives for mothers and their children. It is a career that is both financially and emotionally beneficial.