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What is an Obstetrician?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

An obstetrician is a medical specialist who focuses on labor and delivery. Obstetrics is actually a surgical sub-specialty, meaning that this healthcare professional attends surgical training and then specializes in the care of pregnant women and in surgeries that are related to labor and delivery, such as Cesarean sections. He or she typically works in a hospital environment, so that if a laboring mother experiences complications during the course of labor, she can be rushed into an operating room for treatment. The non-surgical version of this medical specialty is midwifery.

Most obstetricians see their patients throughout their pregnancies, and they also study gynecology, so that they can deal with a range of conditions related to the reproductive system. During pre-natal visits, the doctor checks to be sure that the baby is healthy, discusses steps that pregnant mothers can take to ensure that the pregnancy runs smoothly, and perform diagnostic tests to look for potential problems with the pregnancy and delivery.

An obstetrician provides medical care for pregnant women until delivery and the postpartum checkup. .
An obstetrician provides medical care for pregnant women until delivery and the postpartum checkup. .

If medical emergencies arise during the course of a pregnancy, this medical professional will be part of the team that cares for the patient. In some cases, an he or she may choose to specialize in high-risk pregnancies, in which case, the doctor generally sees patients on a referral basis. Some conditions that require treatment from this type of doctor include tubal pregnancies, pre-eclampsia, placentia previa, and unusual presentations of the fetus, such as a buttocks-first position, which could cause problems during delivery.

An obstetrician focuses on labor and delivery and prenatal care.
An obstetrician focuses on labor and delivery and prenatal care.

The ideal goal is for a woman to carry a baby to term and deliver comfortably. When a woman experiences the early signs of labor, her obstetrician works with a team of labor and delivery nurses and other support staff to keep her comfortable and to monitor the baby's condition. When the labor progresses to the point of delivery, the doctor closely monitors mother and child and is present to catch the baby as it is born. Once the infant is born, the doctor assesses the health of mother and child and makes sure that no emergent conditions require treatment.

Working as an obstetrician can sometimes be very stressful.
Working as an obstetrician can sometimes be very stressful.

This medical specialty can be greatly enjoyable, as many people love interacting with infants and helping to birth healthy, happy babies. It can also be stressful, however, since these doctors tend to work long, irregular hours, because labor is not readily predictable, and bad outcomes in the delivery room can be emotionally draining. Malpractice insurance rates in this specialty are also extremely high, due to the inherent dangers of labor and delivery; unfortunate things can happen even in the hands of a skilled medical professional.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a TheHealthBoard researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a TheHealthBoard researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon310148

I am thinking of being an anesthesiologist or an obstetrician.

anon279145

At least now I know the difference between a gynecologist and an obstetrician.

anon227398

I am now studying the expectations and qualifications of becoming an obstetric nurse. I am very proud to say that I would like to become an obstetric nurse.

raelisha

well i never knew what an obstetrician was, until my friend told me. to me, i think its' best if i go with this career because for one, I'm a huge lover of babies. I'm actually taking care of one now. my brother is just new at having the responsibility of having a baby. so i decided to watch him for a while. now he is a healthy baby and still striving to do my best.

So since i heard of this career, i would like to follow this path.

anon144744

I want to be a neonatal nurse. I have a friend who wants to be an obstetrician. Does anyone have any information about neonatal nursing? I would love to be in the nursery and NICU. I understand that they work with couples (moms and baby) or just babies. I love helping people and am really big into researching neonatal nurses. Please help.

-B

anon134426

i really want to be a obstetrician and this website showed me a lot of what it takes to be one and it's great to hear something good you can do to deliver life into the world.

anon130903

i want to be an obstetrician! this website really helped!

anon117497

for quite a while I've never known what I've wanted to become when I've grown up and I finally found out about obstetricians. i now know what I want to be. Thanks for the helpful info wisegeek.com!

anon101569

I'm still undecided about being a gynecologist or an obstetrician, so this article really helped. i have a problem. Which institution should i study at? which is the best?

anon86225

i really love babies and i like to help them and their moms. That would be the best.

anon83323

thanks for making this amazing research article. i am in middle school and for home and careers we are researching and doing a project about what we want to be when we get older and this article will definitely be sure to help out with my grade. thanks a lot and i will be sure to add this website to my favorites just in case i have to research much more later on in life. thanks a lot.

anon76183

This article really let me know more about an obstetrician, which is something I am interested in becoming. Thanks!

anon63903

i'm a sophomore in high school and the rough draft of my career research paper was due today but I was still missing some information, but thanks to your site i finished it!

anon55146

I'm in middle school, and this sounds interesting. I'm mostly interested because child birth is like a miracle right before your eyes.

anon46011

i'm a junior in high school and i'm doing my senior project on becoming an obstetrician and the amount of school i would need and i think this web page broke it down really good.

anon43748

what courses do i need to take to become an obstetrician?

anon41787

to become an obstetrician, what do you have to study first in your first year of college?

anon23143

I'm a sophomore in high school and I have to write a career paper on something I want to be when I grow up. I searched your website and found this article. This article helped me a lot.

anon18593

wow. this was a very informing passage i just read...i liked it a lot cause this is informing me about what im going to do when i finish high school.

so thank you once again for your help.

skyfromda585

I am about to be a senior in high school this september. I am going to college and thinking about becoming an Obstetrician. i found this article really helpful, thanks.

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    • An obstetrician provides medical care for pregnant women until delivery and the postpartum checkup. .
      By: Aliaksandr Dobysh
      An obstetrician provides medical care for pregnant women until delivery and the postpartum checkup. .
    • An obstetrician focuses on labor and delivery and prenatal care.
      By: Oleksandr Bondar
      An obstetrician focuses on labor and delivery and prenatal care.
    • Working as an obstetrician can sometimes be very stressful.
      By: stefanolunardi
      Working as an obstetrician can sometimes be very stressful.
    • Obstetricians will have to perform surgeries related to childbirth like C-sections.
      By: Anton Booysen
      Obstetricians will have to perform surgeries related to childbirth like C-sections.
    • A perinatologist is a specially trained obstetrician who is often charged with assembling the care team for mother and baby in the event of a high-risk birth such as one involving meningocele.
      By: Andres Rodriguez
      A perinatologist is a specially trained obstetrician who is often charged with assembling the care team for mother and baby in the event of a high-risk birth such as one involving meningocele.