Delivering a Baby Via Cesarean

Hey guys! It feels like it has been a while! School started back up and I have been crazy busy with all my classes and family!

My brother started middle school and I started my junior year of college. We are both starting amazing journeys.

As I am nearing the end of my semester, I thought I would share a story with you that happened at the end of the summertime.

As some of you may know, I shadow every Friday at an OBGYN clinic inside a large hospital. I follow the Doctor to every room, assist in diagnoses, attend early morning surgeries, and help with procedures. However, nothing was more rewarding than what happened the morning of September 2, 2022.

I met the doctor downstairs of the Hospital, and we walked up to the Labor and Delivery unit. After 15 minutes of checking in on the new mothers, we walked over to the operating room to deliver a baby via cesarean section.

To start, the Doctor fitted me with sterile booties, hair cap, and a face mask, with a shield, that ties in the back. Then, he took me to sterilize my hands with a hospital grade Hand sanitizer. I started off by pumping the hand sanitizer into my left palm and then forming my right fingertips together and rubbing them into the hand sanitizer in my left palm. Then I made sure all fingers were sterilized before moving to my forearms and up to my elbow. Once I was sterilized, The OR doors were opened for us, and we were then fitted for a sterile gown. Once the sterile gown was placed on the anterior portion of my body, with my arms in the sleeves, a scrub tech or nurse fit me for sterile gloves. The right glove went on first so you could put on the left glove and adjust accordingly. The whole time the gloves were being put on I had assistance, so it was easier and maintained a sterile environment. Once the left glove was placed on my hand correctly, I was then able to adjust my gloves fully. Then with my sterile gloves, I tied my sterile gown so that I was completely covered.

After I was sterilized, I was positioned to the right side of the woman who was giving birth and the Doctor was to the left. Then, I was informed by the scrub tech that I will be assisting with the surgery! From there, I was told that everywhere that I see blue is a sterile zone, so I am allowed to be there and nowhere else. So, whenever the doctor and the scrub tech were situated, they put me on a standing stool where I spent the duration of the surgery. I was told to pull her superior abdomen taught so the Doctor could start making transverse incisions with his scalpel.

The streamline incisions were done for each layer of her abdomen until he reached her uterus. I was tasked with holding her skin back with intestinal forceps/Farabeuf retractors and utilizing a suction instrument to pick up the amniotic fluids to allow for a clean surgery. (Shown below)

After the incisions were deep enough, he placed a disposable C-section retractor in the opening of her abdomen and instructed me and the scrub tech roll the cuff downwards so it would fit to her suprapubic abdomen.

Then, I was braced for the delivery. I pushed firmly on her upper abdomen, therefore pushing out the baby's head through the retractor. The further along the baby was delivered, the lower my pushing on her abdomen was. To my surprise, the baby came out easily! He was purple in color and did not cry for a couple of seconds. He was attached to his umbilical cord that was grey in color and thick like twisted rope. Once he was completely out, the doctor delivered the placenta and placed it in a bowl.

Once the baby was completely delivered as well as the placenta, the Doctor began suturing her uterus, peritoneal, rectus muscles and sheath, adipose, and then the dermis with suture clips. The types of stitches are listed below:

Peritoneal- continuous longitudinal stitch

Recuts- 2 figure 8 stitches longitudinally

Fascia- lateral continuous

Adipose- lateral continuous

Dermis- lateral suture clips

The doctor noticed she had a tattoo on the left side of her body, so he made sure to keep the sutures as neat as possible to maintain the integrity.

The baby ended up weighing 9 pounds flat and immediately began to suckle on his mother's breast.

After the procedure, the scrub tech untied my gown, and then I took it off the front of me and made sure my gloves came off with it. I then took off my sterile booties, face shields, and then hair cap.

If I am being honest, I did not feel anxious or nervous during the cesarean. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. I had ample amount of assistance and support from the Doctor and scrub tech so I was not worried I would make a mistake.

After the procedure, I felt a huge surge of adrenaline leave my body and I was so excited for the new mother. I immediately called my family to tell them I assisted with the birth of an infant. Naturally, they were very excited for me and just as shocked as I was.

The best part about this experience is knowing that I chose the right profession to be in. I am in love with the setting and knowing that I am calm and collected in the OR. I know it will be different when I become a doctor but I am confident that I am on the right track.