obgyn was my last rotation of third year, and I got to end the year in my favorite city, close to home, and w some of my favorite people. I was pushed out of my comfort zone not only by living in a city for the first time, but also in helping care for individuals with high risk pregnancies and separately, those with gyn cancer. with 2+ lives on the line, realistic goals, patient autonomy, and birth experience were just a few of the factors that went into lengthy discussions between the patients + the maternal fetal medicine team. as a student, I was able to help with a cervical cerclage technique only done at this hospital, assist with c-sections, deliver placentas, repair lacerations, assist in laparoscopic cases, help with routine screenings, do fetal ultrasound, see an external cephalic version, work with midwives and doulas, and relay important info + provide support to families. the highlight of this rotation was definitely when I was able to deliver a baby on my own (with my attending next to me talking me through it of course), and subsequently deliver the mom’s placenta + then repair her laceration. it was a beautiful/scary/exhilarating experience that I’ll never forget, and I’m so glad that my attending allowed me to have that experience. nothing compares to the moment a baby is born; as long as labor is, it always seems so sudden that the baby is now in the room, having forever changed the lives of their parents. on this rotation, I witnessed some of life’s happiest moments and some of life’s most devastating, but above all I witnessed the sheer strength of women + all they go through. the sacrifices that moms make for their children and their resolve in time of extreme discomfort and hardship is truly amazing. I will carry the experiences from this rotation with me, always remembering the conversations I had, the people I met, and the lessons I’ve learned. as a side note, if you’re a med student not scrubbed into a delivery or c-section: ask the parents if they’d like a photo or video when they first meet their baby—it’s something I loved to do for the families I worked with and it made all the difference for them in a surreal/fast-paced moment 🤍