I've blogged before about not wanting med students in the room when I give birth. And a lot of people have said, "Of course you wouldn't! I wouldn't want my classmates looking at my vagina either!"
And yes, that is part of it. Especially my vagina while in the process of giving birth.
But the real reason has nothing to do with modesty as much as it has to do with decorum. See, I don't expect to be especially composed while I'm in labor (unless I get the best epidural of all time -- which, hey! A girl can hope, right?). And I just don't want my classmates saying, "Wow, OMDG was CRAZY when she was in labor! You should have heard the things she said! And the way she screamed at her husband? It's a miracle that he doesn't divorce her."
Ok, perhaps I'm being paranoid, but that's the the real reason. And.... not sure what else there is to say about that!
13 Pearls of Wisdom:
If it were me, it would just be about the vagina thing ;)
I gave birth at non-teaching hospitals.
On the one hand, I think that lots of being all whacky during childbirth is normal, and pretty expected. However, better to have thought about this ahead, because in the moment? You don't give a flying ****. Doesn't matter who's in the room, who's examining you. :)
Lol...legitimate concern in my book.
(Not because you're actually crazy! Because people are judgmental!) Sorry...just realized that it sounded like I implied that you really are going to be maniac!
One of the nicest women I know gave her also very nice husband a black eye when she was in labor. She's less than a hundred pounds, but I wouldn't want to piss her off!
RS -- No worries, I knew what you meant!
Yeah, that's definitely a valid concern. For you, at the time, you're really in the moment & half out of your mind so you may not remember how you acted or what you said; its all very fuzzy to me from both labors (though I don't think I was inappropriate and certainly didn't physically or verbally abuse my husband!). Others, however, might see it more clearly. Not trying to scare you, just to agree with you :)
Ana -- I'm trying to approach this whole "birth" thing with a realistic, yet not terrified attitude. It's not easy! Hopefully I won't say anything verbally abusive! My husband is very understanding and patient so my hope is that even if I did, he would understand. But yeah -- SO not something I would want my future work colleagues to witness!
Here are a few anecdotes I've collected along the road:
Among a group of five women, all over 40.
W1: ...so they get me on the stretcher and into the ambulance, then one of the medics says, "I'm going to have to cut your pants off." Well, I was wearing my PrestigiousName slacks that I got on sale for $49 (women laugh) and I told him "You can strip me naked right in front of everyone but you are NOT cutting these slacks off me."
W2: Yeah, you lose all your modesty just as soon as you have a child.
All women agreed.
Three young twenty-somethings at a house party:
YW1: "Oh, you'll never guess what!"
Socially obligatory echo; "What?"
YW1: "We're pregnant!"
Comments of How wonderful! Oh, that's great! Yes! Yes! Whose giving you a baby shower? Do you want a boy or a girl? Yes! Yes!
Mad Jack, silently: Just how the hell are we anything close to pregnant? Only girls get pregnant...
YW1, 9 months later in labor and in the hospital: I changed my mind! I don't want to do this! Nooooo!
Young 20-something, hour 23 of a 24 hour labor with her husband Bank at her side - they've done the Lamaze classes together: Oh no! Oh God! Oh Bank! Bank! Bank, damn you, are you awake?!
And finally, the loud, strident voice of experience. The mother to be was obscured by partitions: Vince, damn you, if you ever come near me again I'll drop you with a deer rifle!
I was very ashamed of the evil demanding b that came out while I was in labor, but I was highly complimented by everyone on how I conducted myself in labor. I thought they were just flattering me. I think your reasoning is perfectly sound. You don't want your peers judging you for how you acted in extreme duress, and you wouldn't want them seeing and possibly commenting on your business either. You should keep that demand as non-negotiable.
So, gossiping about a patient (even a fellow med student) among med students is not considered a violation of HIPAA? If any of them were to identify you in any way they would be in serious violation. In any case I wouldn't want them around (or the residents either) in my labor. There's a little too much of "the patient is here for the benefit of my education," rather than "i'm here for the benefit of the patient." Of course, ob/gyn's are mostly a special kind of hateful. Not to stereotype or anything.
It probably is a HIPAA violation. That doesn't mean it would never happen. Plus, even if they never said anything to anyone, they might think it, and it could influence their behavior towards me in the future. Ergo, best to avoid the situation entirely.
I don't mind residents at all. The senior residents in particular tend to be extremely current with their information and have a lot of recent practice with procedures. I'd take a good resident to a non-board certified attending any day.
This is the exact reason I am opting for a c-section
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