In medicine, one learns the importance of a good introduction. It is the basis of establishing solid rapport, and with it, the opportunity to build off of it into meaningful care. It may be in the way we speak, offer a smile, and my personal favorite, tell a tasteful joke.
With countless first impressions, patient encounters, and new acquaintances, you’d think I would get used to it. Still, I wasn’t ready for when I got to meet someone for the first time on OB/GYN. As a matter of fact, I’m one of their first acquaintances, on their very first day on Earth.
I had barely glanced away, and there they were, out of the womb and placed on the blue drape in this tiny obstetric OR, right by my sterile, double-gloved hand. The first C-section and delivery I have ever seen.
I remembered what would be the polite thing to do, and spoke, offering an aside to the bustling work that is surgery.
“Happy birthday,” I muttered to the neonate the size of my forearm. I had come here empty handed, but that was quickly remedied when a pair of scissors hit my palm and I was promptly directed to cut here and there. Just like that, there goes the umbilical cord’s connection to the placenta (and mom), bringing on some amazing shifts in physiology.
The action came with a sense that I had done something simple, but irreversible. I don’t think the child would ever know that some random med-student-of-the-week was the one disconnecting them from the placenta when they look at their twisting navel. (Maybe that also was the case for me or you?)
The seemingly ‘simple’ ways we leave an impact on others, such as in the port holes we close, the questions we answer, the drains we remove, and the comfort we provide, becomes countless. We contribute to the details and sentiments in the story of our patients’ health journeys. That often starts with a hello, with the hope that afterwards we have learned something that would stay with us and that we gave care.
I have heard it said that the highs of OB/GYN are arguably incomparable to those in other fields; the good news and the special days become celebrations and family traditions. In four weeks, you make many first impressions and not only see, but sometimes become, a part of these treasured memories.
After a certain 24 hour shift, I reflected on the moments I had witnessed during my time on this rotation. It’s better than caffeine.
I will recall the nervous father in a blue gown walking into the OR to see his baby for the first time. He was proud of the strong cries and reassured his child, as he would for years to come. Him sitting by his partner and showing her what they’ve made, it brings tears to one’s eyes.
A mother making jokes as she labors and pushes for the first time, with med-student-of-the-week holding a leg. Surely, the laughter must’ve contributed to the baby’s progression.
Mothers sharing their baby names, and there’s the impact of well-timed warm blankets. Watching the nurses be the fiercest advocates. In the labor wards, you get to see the depth of trust these patients have for their doctors, nurses, and midwives, seeing their hope and mutual respect in what is a vulnerable and deeply memorable time in their lives. And when the timing is right, we are there, too, helping support them whatever way we can.
A mother’s smile that comes from seeing her baby for the first time on ultrasound. Finding the heartbeat, the loud whooshes filling the room. These little moments make me love medicine a bit more, being a part of something that innately connects you with others. There are countless opportunities for that wherever we are, starting with an introduction. Remember, these were all strangers at first.
(There are also moments in between patient care that I will remember. The cups of coffee at night, and the importance of a sweet treat, tucking taffy in my pocket. A laugh with a fellow medical student as the late hours pass on.)
The OB/GYN rotation is where we medical students see the beginning of what we spent years fundamentally learning about—the human being. Embryology, physiology, and yes, pharmacology, all in action. That is the beauty of third-year, you see what you’ve learned now right in front of you, and what an honor that is. After all, how often can you say you were there, on someone’s first day on Earth?