Objective To understand the status of work engagement, job stress and their relationship among postpartum nurses with the second-child returning to work in operating room, and to provide reference for targeted intervention. Methods Totally 82 postpartum nurses with the second-child returning to work in operating room were investigated using general information questionnaire, work engagement scale and Chinese job stress scale. Results The score of work engagement was 3.29±0.51, and the score of job stress was 2.92±0.43. There was a significant and negative correlation between the score of work engagement and job stress (P<0.01). Conclusion Job stress in the postpartum nurses with the second-child returning to work in operating room is high, their work engagement is in the middle level, and the job stress negatively affects their work engagement. Nursing managers should take targeted intervention to reduce the nurses′ stress and increase their work engagement.