What does a labor and delivery nurse do?
A labor and delivery (L&D) nurse is a registered nurse who cares for women through labor, birth and the first hours after. They monitor the mother and baby, support pain management, assist the physician or midwife and recognize emergencies.
How you get there
L&D needs an RN license, and hospitals commonly hire new graduates into obstetric units or prefer some experience first. Neonatal resuscitation and fetal monitoring training is usually part of orientation. The National Certification Corporation offers a voluntary inpatient obstetric nursing certification.
L&D nurse or midwife?
An L&D nurse works under a physician or midwife’s orders and does not deliver babies alone. A certified nurse-midwife holds a graduate degree and does. See certified nurse-midwife.
Pay
Specialties are not separated in federal data. The median RN earned $97,550 in May 2025, and the BLS projects 5.6% RN growth from 2025 to 2035.
Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.