One more edit: I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time in order to scrub in on a triplet c-section delivery. It was absolutely amazing to see these three healthy babies being pulled out of their amniotic sacs. Can you imagine floating peacefully in a warm sea of comfort and the next being pulled out into a glaringly bright, cold, and strange world? No wonder they cry! Once they were out the whole room was filled with the sound of babies crying; for a second I forgot I was on obgyn and thought I was in the baby nursery. This was definitely the highlight of my time on ob!
My 6 weeks on ob/gyn are winding down and I wanted to write a quick post about how much I have loved ob!!! This was perhaps the biggest surprise of medical school. I had heard stories about the birthing process and how chaotic deliveries are. I had also heard rumors of ob/gyn teams being hard to work with. But all my preconceived notions about this rotation were quickly dispelled.
There is really no other feeling like delivering a baby with your bare hands. As a medical student I think this is one of the coolest things I got to do because I am actually bringing life into the world and you get to see immediate results of your work. You develop a great relationship with the couples because you meet them from the beginning when they’re admitted and you stay in the room to help them push. You feel for the Moms as they’re pushing and you’re really cheering them on as they’re making progress. Caught up in the moment I sometimes even get the urge to push with them (then I remind myself…hey…you’re not in labor). Then you all get to meet the baby together for the first time! All the effort and hard work is worth it because in the end, you get to be the first one to hand the parents their baby. The feeling is something that I’ll never forget, no matter what field I go into.
It’s times like these when I feel extra excited and very fortunate that I’m going to be a doctor one day.
This is EXACTLY how I felt. I’ve always been scared of…death, to be honest. I start getting nervous in Oncology or Palliative Care. The miracle of childbirth seemed so much more appealing to me than anything else. I still feel like it’s too early to decide for me though. Maybe I’ll have it figured out come final year. Lovely read nonetheless. More power to you, Joyce!
I think it is perfectly normal to be scared of death. In fact, it’s weird if someone in the medical profession is completely desensitized to death! It’s an interesting position for future healthcare providers to be in – to reflect on death and our role in helping patients and their families cope with death. Either way, ob/gyn is so refreshing because it (usually) is a place of new beginnings, of hope, and happiness. I hope you enjoy your journey!
This is EXACTLY how I felt. I’ve always been scared of…death, to be honest. I start getting nervous in Oncology or Palliative Care. The miracle of childbirth seemed so much more appealing to me than anything else. I still feel like it’s too early to decide for me though. Maybe I’ll have it figured out come final year. Lovely read nonetheless. More power to you, Joyce!
I think it is perfectly normal to be scared of death. In fact, it’s weird if someone in the medical profession is completely desensitized to death! It’s an interesting position for future healthcare providers to be in – to reflect on death and our role in helping patients and their families cope with death. Either way, ob/gyn is so refreshing because it (usually) is a place of new beginnings, of hope, and happiness. I hope you enjoy your journey!