Caring for Women During the Best and Worst Moments of their Lives
Introduction
The first birth I ever witnessed was magical. I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was the beginning of the third year of medical school with a multiparous patient who delivered in a handful of pushes with strenuous effort. As she held her baby, her tears quickly turned to joy. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, and all I could think was how truly amazing it all was. I caught a burning desire to deliver babies, which has only continued to grow.
During residency, I became comfortable with vaginal deliveries and prenatal care. Unfortunately, I also saw that we do not always get the happy endings we plan for, despite our best efforts.
There are nights when we leave a room after delivering a fetal demise only to be called into the next room, expected to have a smile on our face as we prepare to deliver a healthy baby. This is what we do best as family physicians with additional training in women’s health and obstetrics. We have the honor of caring for the whole woman and her future family.
I wanted to be prepared for those times that do not go as planned, such as my patient needing a D&C to remove a retained placenta or being ready to perform a C-section when a baby is not tolerating labor even after appropriate interventions. I wanted to use the relationship I built with a patient to provide care for them in any scenario. Therefore, I pursued a surgical Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship following residency to hone my surgical skills and further expand the scope of care that I can provide to women. I was fortunate to obtain a position at our program.
As family physicians, we have the privilege of building relationships with these women and being trusted with their care in some of the best and worst moments of their lives. They are the caregivers for their families, children and friends — often at the expense of their own health. I see it as a true honor to give back to those who give so much of themselves to those they love without expecting anything in return, leaving themselves vulnerable to adverse health outcomes.
Beyond this, mentorship is something I have enjoyed since undergrad, both formally and informally. A desire to continue serving the medical community through teaching and mentoring the next generation of physicians emerged during residency. I have found that this gives me a great sense of personal and professional fulfillment.
This was expanded upon during residency with the Stanford Clinical Teaching Course led by Dr. Kelvin Wynn and further developed during fellowship. Following completion of fellowship, I chose to stay on as faculty at our program. To this day, I strive to teach medical students and younger residents in a compassionate way that encourages growth and learning. I hope to continue sharing knowledge and empowering them to practice full-spectrum family medicine in whatever setting they may choose.
About the Author
Dr. Lizabeth Kaeb is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Assistant Fellowship Director of the Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship.