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04 November 2009
Sonal's Web Diary
Last week I was fortunate enough to have my designated ‘Labour Week’ at the Jessop Wing.
The labour ward is located on level 2 and is divided into 4 main sections; consultant led care, midwifery led care, triage and high dependency unit. The floor also holds theatres for both elective and emergency caesarean sections as well as a few other operations or procedures the woman might need.
I saw and assisted a few elective caesarean sections as well as one emergency one. C-sections, as one can imagine, are very different compared to normal birth as the amniotic sac has usually not spontaneously ruptured. Therefore, not only is there a baby coming out, but a lot more fluid than I initially expected. Another thing I was surprised about is that C-sections look quite brutal. The mother can’t feel anything as she has a spinal in, and although the baby and placenta are ‘delivered’ very quickly, the sewing and cleaning up afterwards takes a lot longer than a good natural birth. The other procedures I saw in theatre was a ventouse delivery, which is basically a small suction cup placed on the back part of the baby’s’ head to help pull the baby out at the same time the mother is pushing. This may be necessary if the baby is a slightly awkward position or the labour is not progressing for any other reason. It is done in theatre not because of the procedure itself, but in the slim chance that it might fail, emergency surgery will need to be performed and everyone is prepared in theatre already.
Most deliveries are natural, however, and hopefully require none or very little intervention from the doctors at all. I feel privileged to have been part of a few ladies journeys through labour and would like to thank them for letting me be part of such an intimate experience in their lives. The best moments for me were when I saw the mothers’ expression the first time she held her baby girl or boy. I cannot describe that expression, but it made me go a little misty eyed each time.
Though I don’t think Obstetrics & Gynaecology is the profession for me, I thoroughly enjoyed labour week as it is a very unique experience that one will only be able to enjoy once as a medical student if you choose other career pathways. Every student I have talked to really enjoyed their labour week and I hope all upcoming medical students enjoy theirs and get to see a broad range of things as I did.
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