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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

medical students present during labour?

106 replies

kittyt · 14/10/2006 14:44

I am almost certainly going to be having a c sec as I have twins, 1st one breech. Am booked it at a big student hospital, and wondering whether to allow medical students in to see the procedure. Has anyone else allowed students in during their labour, and if so, what was it like?

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Megglevache · 14/10/2006 15:38

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expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 15:39

Seriously, she had no biz being phased by it if she's going into that profession. And if her feelings were so obvious that you noticed it during labour, than it must have been pretty obvious.

How weird!

Truly, that's just part of the job for them!

DumbledoresGirl · 14/10/2006 15:46

I had a feeling expat that obstetrics wasn't going to be her thing. I have just asked dh if he thought this was the first birth she had witnessed as she did not really seem to know what to do, and he reckons it couldn't have been far off her first birth as he had to show her how to dress the baby! I do remember going for the final push and needing 2 people to hold on to. Dh was one, and I remember grabbing her hand to squeeze as I pushed and I definitely know she wasn't expecting me to do that!

But then, if it was her first birth, why didn't she rush out excitedly to phone her mother like YeahBut's student did?

busybusymum · 14/10/2006 15:49

I had a student midwife with no3 and she was dreadful (no people skills at all) having said that I would allow students in again.

expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 15:49

The student who observed my forceps birth was all excited, too. She kept thanking me for letting her watch and was encouraging me to push - yes, you have to push even w/a forceps birth!

And checking to see how we were. DH let her hold the baby and she was a natural.

And some of the other students were jealous that she got to observe.

DumbledoresGirl · 14/10/2006 15:51

For all I know, my student gave up medicine as a result of watching my ds3's birth! But I reckon more likely she si going to go into something like surgery.

squishy · 14/10/2006 16:13

I've just declined to have student midwife (s) at what I hope will be a home birth (first birth anyway). I'd thought that I wouldn't mind (as other people have said, how else will they learn) but what clinched it for me was my MW telling me that they're just at the "looking stage" - the girl who was in my last examination didn't even know how to dip urine and wasn't allowed to take BP, so I thought I could do without that sort of input taking up valuable space in my living room! Think I'd feel differently in a theatre - so many people anyway (and perhaps ability to relax and go into own space not as crucial?)

norkmaiden · 14/10/2006 16:23

I had an auxiliary in the room to see the actual birth - she'd never seen one before. they did ask me if it would be alright, for all I cared at that point they could have broadcast it live on bbc1! I think it's quite cool actually that she got to see a live birth, I would given the chance

roisinpronouncedROSHEEN · 14/10/2006 16:45

I had a student midwife during my second labour, and she was absolutely fantastic. Unlike the 'real' midwife, and the ones in 1st and 3rd labours/births, she didn't keep running off and disappearing all the time, but was a constant and reassuring presence. She basically 'ran the show' (a waterbirth) with a 'real' midwife supervising, and it was definitely the best care/total experience I had out of the three.

DarrellSHivers · 14/10/2006 17:18

I reckon a healthy interest in the body and body functions is a pre-requisite for the job, so hence not so good if nudity phased the student.

Whenever I observed/assisted in a delivery , I usually always had tears in my eyes at the end of it and no matter how many times you see a delivery, each baby is always so so so amazing.I always felt pretty priviledged to be part of it.

expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 17:25

I've had students observe all my knee surgeries, too, and, b/c in my case, I had no pain (other than initial) after completely tearing my ACL, I also allowed residents to examine my knee.

Even if a person is a surgeon, they're still going to have to see the human body w/no clothes on it as part of their course of study, so it's weird that one would feel awkward about nudity.

'You seen one, you seen 'em all', erm, sort of applies . . .

DarrellSHivers · 14/10/2006 17:29

and if you haven't seen enough of 'normal', then knowing what is not, is difficult

threebob · 14/10/2006 17:34

I said no because it was my first and only wanted their to be me, dh and the 2 midwives in the room.

I'm not having another, but having done it before I would say yes this time. But to one student midwife - not a whole crowd.

jabberwocky · 14/10/2006 20:02

What if the naked-shy medical student was planning on going into psychiatry and was just doing the required OB rotation?

cece · 14/10/2006 20:14

I had student midwife for my 1st. It was her second (observation) of a birth. I let her deliver the placenta. It was fine

Unfortunately for her though she arrived while I was in transition, when asked if I would mind her being there I think I swore

Imascaryfairy · 14/10/2006 20:15

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MrsFish · 14/10/2006 20:19

Without reading the entire thread...

I had a med student in the room when I had ds, to be honest I was so out of it that there could have been 5 of them there, also had problems when it came to the final push so to speak, that the room was soon filled with lots of people, seeing as you have no dignity during labour anyway, it really didn't present me with a problem.

corblimeymadam · 14/10/2006 20:23

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corblimeymadam · 14/10/2006 20:25

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expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 20:26

And they're not going to see naked, screaming people if they go into psychiatry?

LOL! They'll be seeing a lot of that in that field, you can bet!

Frizombie · 14/10/2006 20:48

Had my longest serving mate with me for two births now, she was a 1st year med student on my 1st birth and 3rd year on my 2nd birth (although she's on the new 4 yr condensed courses and started her ob/gyn rotation last week!) thought I'd give her the heads up with it all also had an observing final year student in on my 1st birth, was fine.

tassis · 14/10/2006 20:51

Haven't read whole thread, but for me the advantage of having a student midwife present at the birth of ds was that the 2 midwifes talked to each other and left me alone...with dd we only had one midwife and everytime she talked I wanted to scream at her to SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

Maybe next time I'll write "please don't talk to me or touch me!" on my birth plan...

porpoise · 14/10/2006 21:05

Had a student midwife observe both my second and third labour. Both lovely in a shy sort of way - and both said afterwards how 'interesting' it was that I made such a lot of noise!
Also had several student doctors use me as a 'pregant patient' during their exams.
Very funny: 'Yes, well this woman is 20 weeks'

jabberwocky · 14/10/2006 21:06

expat, If they are working in a psyche ward/hospital I can see that possibility.

So, how about ophthalmology, ENT or a hand surgeon, just to name a few more?

expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 21:11

They're still going to have see lots of naked bits as part of their course of study, though.

That's a known fact and pretty obvious early on to anyone who begins to pursure that course of study.

As Darrell pointed out, being interested in the body and its functions is why someone goes into medicine.