Being a nurse helped prepare me for motherhood

Nothing can prepare any parent for the insanity of parenthood, because it’s impossible to understand its complexity until you’re there.  However, after working as a nurse for so many years before having my children, I do think it gave me a tiny edge.  

As an emergency room nurse, I work in a lot of unusual and often stressful situations involving the health and wellbeing of my patients.    Admittedly, I’m exhausted on my days off, and sometimes I feel guilty for working such long hours.

But even though I often feel overwhelmed with my crazy life as a working mom, I am so grateful for how my experience as a registered nurse has helped prepare me for motherhood. 

Additional recommended reading:  Is Nursing A Good Career For Moms?

Toddlers can act just like miniature psych patients.

In the ER, I deal with every single type of mental and psychiatric disorder ever documented in the literature.   We work with everything from homicidal schizophrenia to depression or anxiety and everything in between.

Some of the most exciting conversations I have with my two-year-old remind me of similar situations and conversations that I have had working as a healthcare professional.

For example, I have watched my toddler throw herself on the floor in a fit of tears because I didn’t peel the banana “the right way” (believe it or not, I have had similar conversations with patients).   I guess you could say that I have had a lot of experience with having irrational discussions over the years.  

As a result of my experience working in an ER with an acute psych ward, I have almost no reaction when my toddler melts down or breaks into a fit of rage out of nowhere.  I have had too much experience dealing with angry, irrational patients.  Having composure and speaking with respect is always the winning choice and warrants the best response in both scenarios.  (When a nurse gets mad back at a patient, the patients yells louder.  It’s the same with toddlers).

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I stopped worrying about things that aren’t worth my worry.

As a nurse and mom, I am generally more concerned about the things that might seriously injure or kill my children.  Sure, a broken arm would suck, and no mom wants to see their child in pain. But a broken bone won’t kill you. Like, for example, falling out a window in a home that hasn’t been childproofed could.

I want my home safe from the significant injuries, but I also don’t want to helicopter-parent them from ever injuring themselves. 

(But I also have an irrational fear of swimming pools now too as a direct result of my experience as an ER nurse, so I suppose being a nurse and mom has also made me a bit paranoid as well).  

The way I see it is that kids grow and learn so much through play. If they are playing right, they are going to get hurt once in a while.  Minor injuries are a part of childhood, and having them can help kids grow and develop resilience to other things that happen to them out in the world.  

Additional recommended reading:  9 Tips For Working As A Nurse While Pregnant

Being a nurse is a constant reminder of how lucky I am to have healthy children.  

I have had the privilege of working with pediatrics as an emergency medicine nurse.  As a result, I have watched a lot of parents deal with their children’s chronic illnesses, life-threatening injuries, and so many other medical-related issues that can keep kids in the hospital for weeks, months, or even years.

It makes it hard for me to complain about how busy my life is as a working mother.  Because in reality, when you have healthy children, you have everything that you need. 

As a working mom and nurse, I see a lot of the bad things that can happen, and it makes me more grateful for the things I have.  It is all a challenging balance.  But it is also an honor and a privilege – and it has prepared me for motherhood in a way that nothing else really could.