Mother recalls ‘disturbing’ experience giving birth while 20 medical students watched without her permission

A mother-of-seven has opened up about her discomfort over giving birth to her first child while 20 medical students watched, despite the hospital not receiving her permission.

Jessica Enslow, an influencer from Utah who regularly documents life as a parent on her social media accounts, reflected on the 1994 birth of her and her husband’s first child, which took place in a military hospital because her partner was in the armed forces, in a recent TikTok.

The clip, which follows a trend that sees users share things they regret, saw Enslow caption the video: “Military hospital brought in 20 med students to watch me give birth to my first child without asking me.”

As she shook her head, Enslow continued: “And I didn’t say anything because I thought my husband would get in trouble.”

In the caption of the TikTok, Enslow then expressed her hope that military hospital policies have changed since the birth of her first child.

“Hopefully, military hospital policies and bedside manner have improved since 1994,” she wrote, adding the hashtags #MilitaryWife and #BirthStories.

The video, which has since been viewed more than 18,000 times, prompted many of Enslow’s followers to share similar experiences.

“Same thing happened to me with my first! I tore and they had an intern stitch me up! Of course I was so exhausted that I didn’t even realise it,” one woman commented, while another said: “This also happened to me in 2009 when I had my son in a military hospital.”

Multiple women also revealed that they experienced similar occurrences while giving birth at Fort Hood, a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas.

“Nope, sadly it hasn’t changed. In 2018, the same thing happened to me at Fort Hood,” someone else commented, while another woman added: “Omg the same thing happened to me at Fort Hood.”

In response to one comment who described the hospital’s behaviour as a “massive violation,” Enslow, who was just 20 at the time of the birth, agreed, adding that it was “disturbing”.

While many commiserated with the story, others encouraged Enslow to remind viewers that they can say no in situations such as the one she experienced.

“You can always say no! Spread that message,” one viewer urged.

According to Everyday Health, medical students, especially those in a teaching hospital, can observe patients under the supervision of the attending physician to improve their skills. However, according to Rebecca Parker, chair of the board of the American College of Emergency Physicians and an attending emergency physician at Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana, Illinois, the attending physician typically asks for the patient’s permission.

“With an alert patient, the medical student and attending [physician] would introduce the student, define their role, and ask for permission for involvement,” she said.

The Independent has contacted Enslow for comment.