Emily Jacobs, MD, an OB/GYN resident at Iowa City-based University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, was in the midst of delivering a patient's baby July 28 when she realized she was going into early labor, ABC News reports.
The 28-year-old resident said it wasn't until she left the operating room following the delivery she realized her water broke.
"I was freaking out a little bit because we were still seeing patients and [my supervisor] just kind of smiled and told me to go back in one of the triage rooms and wait for her to confirm that it was my water," Dr. Jacobs told ABC News.
The experience became even more special for Dr. Jacobs when she learned her fellow colleague was scheduled to help deliver her child.
Dr. Jacobs said the experience has made her a better physician and even more empathetic toward her patients.
"It's definitely made me ... more aware of what it's like going through some pregnancy complications. People will come in [who are] in preterm labor often ... very worried about the health of their baby and health of themselves," Dr. Jacobs said. "[Because I went] through it, I can definitely appreciate just how worried and nervous [patients] get."