My aspiration to be an Obstetrician

We live in a little cottage where the sun manages to radiate luminously through our house and illuminate all the dark places. It seems to dance around and shine upon our family pictures and even on my three year old brother attempting to be Bach on the piano and my little sister singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in the highest soprano voice her little lungs will allot her. As the sun travels through our house my other siblings are reading or sword fighting while my parents are preparing breakfast. Each day our family is filled with commotion and joy, sadness and hope. We begin each day anew and end each day with thankfulness.
I am the oldest of six children in our family of two girls and four boys. My parents each come from a large family. During all this commotion brought about by the sun rising we nevertheless find time to sit for dinner, or in this case breakfast, where new family news is usually distributed. As has been the case for the past few years my mother has had a new baby each progressing year. When I look around our breakfast table I see the usual faces of my little brothers and my little sister and it makes me think of why I am thankful for my family and why I want to help others. In the past few years I have decided to pursue my dream of becoming a physician in the field of obstetrics.
The aspiration I have to become an obstetrician started two siblings ago, the way I count it. It was the summer before last when my parents sat my three brothers and me down in the living room and told us mom was going to have another baby. At the time my mom had an amazing obstetrician who walked her through everything and even met the family. While watching her and seeing what she did for mom I started to think about the field of obstetrics, but it was only in the back of my mind. At the time I wanted to be a General Surgeon in the ER, not an obstetrician.
A few months later my mom was going to a usual check up for the baby and she had a really bad feeling. The baby hadn’t moved for quite a while and she knew something was wrong. My mom ended up calling the doctors and they told her to come in immediately. I was at home babysitting my brothers when my dad called saying that they were going to be a while because mom was having an emergency c-section. It tuned out that my little sister had a true knot in her umbilical cord and was dying. After a few hours and a few rosaries my dad called and told all of us that mom was sleeping and we had a new little sister. The obstetrician and her team had saved my little sister and my mom.
Another year passed and my parents sat us down again to tell us that mom was pregnant with another boy. When my mom was pregnant we found out she might have cancer. The doctors tried to give her options and one of the options was the erroneous idea that she would kill her own child. The other physicians helped her and she carried to full term cancer free. When my mom was pregnant with my little brother she had really low water and had to have frequent appointments. During one of the appointments I went with my mom and it was the turning point in my dreams for my life in the future. The obstetric nurse let my mom and me listen to the heartbeat of my little brother and I knew at that time what I wanted and had to do. I knew that I wanted to become and obstetrician and to help mothers with their pregnancies, especially those with complications in their pregnancy.
This past year we found out that my mom’s cousin and his wife are expecting twins. As her pregnancy progresses the doctors are afraid she might not carry to full term. Her physician and family have kept her going and she is doing well. The fact that an obstetrician can have such a tremendous impact on the mother and show her the true meaning of life and the value of family is remarkable.
Growing up with such a loving , compassionate and large family has contributed a great deal to what I want to be in the future. I cannot see my life without children or without helping others in need. I want to be there at the beginning to help them experience the true meaning of life that I have grown up with. Waking up each morning to all my little brothers and sister running around or listening to the questions that they ask, no matter how silly they may be is joyful. There is something very peaceful about having a family surrounding you. I want to do something worthwhile and see the mother’s face when she holds her baby for the first time. Or comfort her when she needs support through tragic news. The healing that you can practice in the science of medicine with compassion is a human experience beyond the boundaries of every culture and society. I don’t think this is an overly romantic point of view. I think it’s the passion that lights the fire of every healers heart and keeps them going through the drudgery of everyday. It’s a spark in all doctors that can always be fanned and renewed. My family has showed me what a family truly is through the good and the bad and to embrace and protect life, no matter how small that life may be. It is because of my family and those I love why I aspire to be an obstetrician.