#76 - On My Departure From Hospital-Based Birth (Solo-Cast)

In 2020, I left the hospital system. I spent 15 years training, sacrificing, and ultimately becoming disillusioned with "the system" to which I had so desperately yearned to be a part. On my last shift as an OBGYN, I was awakened in the middle of the night to perform a (truly needed) emergency c-section. The noise and inhumane nature of c-sections, including the lights, the chatter, and the dystopic nature of removing a baby from an incision in the abdomen was the final straw for me. I wrote this essay in one sitting as soon as I got out of the operating room. It's an homage to the process of becoming a doctor and not finding happiness or sanity within the medical industrial complex. In some ways, it's also a love letter to my fellow physicians and practitioners, as I hope it will give more OBGYNs permission to lean into the feelings that arise in a system that overmedicalizes death, overpathologizes birth, and underappreciates the sacred art of healing.  My online store (discounts on many other products mentioned in my podcast) Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.com Sponsored by: Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)! Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message