Nursing jobs that help babies can be both demanding and incredibly rewarding at the same time. If you want to become a nurse and also want to prioritize caring for babies, consider one of the following career paths that can help you fulfill your professional dream and vision.
Neonatal Nurse
As a neonatal nurse, you care for newborn babies who are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Some of your job duties include monitoring their vitals, feeding them, and helping them become well enough to go home with their parents. You may also be responsible for maintaining and using medical equipment, such as incubators and ventilators.
Pediatric Nurse
Pediatric nurses care for children of all ages, including newborns and infants. However, if you prefer working with young babies, you can choose to specialize in newborns. Some of the job duties of a pediatric nurse include administering vaccinations, screening for various health issues, and educating parents about how to best care for their children when they’re sick or diagnosed with a chronic condition.
Certified Nurse Midwife
As a certified nurse midwife (CNM), you work mainly with women who are pregnant, though you’re also responsible for providing care to newborns and babies for the first months of their lives. Other responsibilities you may have as a CNM include providing prenatal and postnatal care and helping women through labor and delivery. CNMs also provide gynecologic services to women who are not pregnant, including sexual and reproductive health services, family planning, and preconception care.
Lactation Consultant
Lactation consultants specialize mainly in breastfeeding. As a lactation consultant, you teach mothers how to breastfeed and help them resolve various issues related to breastfeeding. For example, you may educate mothers about different nursing positions, help them with proper latching, and work with them to develop nutrition plans that support a healthy milk supply. You may also help mothers treat and manage infections related to breastfeeding, such as mastitis.
Labor and Delivery Nurse
In this position, you may work alongside OB-GYNs in hospitals and birthing centers to help mothers experience a healthy and comfortable labor and delivery. Some of your duties may include monitoring the vital signs of both the mother and baby during labor, timing contractions, and administering medications such as morphine and epidurals. You may even help mothers fulfill their birth plans to make their birthing experiences more memorable.
Charge Nurse
Charge nurses manage specific units in a hospital, but if you want to work primarily with babies, you can become a charge nurse who oversees a NICU or pediatric unit. As a charge nurse, you have the opportunity to spend lots of time around babies, though many of your duties may be more administrative in nature. Updating patient medical records, developing nursing schedules, and overseeing nurses in your unit are some of the many responsibilities you may have in this nursing position.
Public Health Nurse
If you’re devoted to serving babies who belong to a certain community, consider becoming a public health nurse. As a public health nurse, you may educate mothers in a given community on how to best care for their babies. Some of your duties and responsibilities may include performing exams on babies in community health settings and holding community workshops related to newborn and infant care.
Pediatric Endocrinology Nurse
Diabetes, hypothyroidism, and Turner syndrome are some of the many health conditions that fall under the scope of pediatric endocrinology. As a pediatric endocrinology nurse, you care for babies and children who are diagnosed with these types of disorders. Some of your responsibilities may include performing routine checkups and tests, monitoring vitals, and assisting physicians with developing treatment plans for patients.
Developmental Disability Nurse
Autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy are some of the developmental disabilities that can affect newborns and young children. As a developmental disability nurse, you care for children who are diagnosed with these conditions and coach them and their parents on how to best manage their conditions. For instance, you can show patients exercises and activities that can improve their motor function and provide tips on how to handle emotional ups and downs.
Many of the above nursing positions require you to have a bachelor’s degree. Registered nurses make an average salary of $77,600 per year, with the opportunity to earn more if you pursue a specialty in a nursing field that requires you to care for babies. You can also work toward earning certifications, such as that from the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) or the Electronic Fetal Monitoring (C-EFM) program to increase your earning potential in neonatal-related nursing careers.
Resource Links
- “Caring For the Little Ones: Top 10 Jobs for Nurses Who Want to Work with Babies” via Nightingale College
- “About the Midwifery Profession” via American College of Nurse-Midwives
- “Registered Nurses” via U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- “Take These 6 Steps to Become a Neonatal (NICU) Nurse” via Herzing University