Part of a doctor’s responsibility is to enter people’s lives and bodies. We are granted the right to do this by our patients who entrust their lives and health with our knowledge and skills. No place in my rotations has this been more glaring than OB/GYN.

In surgery we enter places not accessible to others, but this is done behind closed doors with patients under heavy anesthesia. OB/GYN draws a crowd. During the birthing process the patients, mother and fetus, are surrounded by family members. Husband holding the hand of his wife, mother applying a damp cloth to the forehead of her daughter, the best friend standing back with camera in hand. Into the middle of the action we enter and with gloved hand we are given carte blanche access to one of the most intimate places of the human body. Civilizations have been destroyed due to men’s coveting of this anatomical wonder, yet we, the healers are allowed, even expected to enter with the entire family looking on. It is a heavenly responsibility one that is guided as much by art as science. The modern shaman acting as a humble guide for these astral travelers, we reach into the dark infinite universe and ease life into the light.

To the uninitiated it may be a difficult threshold to cross, but talk to the mother and family during these interactions and it is clear there are really only two things on their collective minds... mother and baby safety. Rich, poor, young and old alike share this common concern and could really care less that the nurse, medical student, and physician are all taking turns throughout the hours to check the progress. They all wait and ask "How's everything going?" and they all breathe a small sigh of relief when we report that the stars of the show are tip-top.