This is So Cool

Catching Babies

It was like two o'clock in the morning on the obstetrical floor and the patient I was following was finally ready to push. Me and the obstetrician very excitedly went to the room of the patient, and the obstetrician asked me to be right at the foot of the bed and told me that I was going to be the one to catch the baby.

So, I was of course very excited. The mother was a G1P0 so the couple was very excited about their first baby girl. Just everyone in the room was really excited for the baby to come out, so it was a very happy atmosphere. She started to push push push and then finally, the baby started crowing and the head came out. I caught the baby as it fully came out. I didn't realize how slippery babies were, so I was worried that it was going to slip out of my hands, but I was able to give the baby to the mom. It was such a joyous moment for them. It was a very impassionate moment for me because I realized that the first person that this baby had ever touched was me, not even the mother who carried it. I was the first human on this planet who touched this being and that's a heavy thing to take in.  

How do you think this experience is going to affect you going forward as a physician and your patient care? 

It definitely made me more passionate about women’s health. And also just the miracle of childbirth. The excitement that comes with it and the joy that comes with it. I’ve seen some sad cases, especially miscarriages but having those really happy moments gives you the push to move forward in hard times.