Stage 3
Tess Cersonsky (2022)
quilling on paper
This piece depicts placenta and umbilical cord. The title refers to the stages of labor; stage 3 marks the separation of the placenta and umbilical cord from the uterus. This stage begins the post-partum period wherein the body heals from the experience, and often trauma, of pregnancy and birth.
As a medical student on OB/GYN, I didn’t always get to delivery the baby itself but I always got to deliver the placenta. This is how I fell in love with this incredible organ that bridges the gap between pregnant patient and baby. This is what led me to create this piece via quilling, a technique involving twisting small strips of paper into many shapes. I sought to capture the flow of blood within the placenta between the growing fetus and the pregnant patient using different spirals.
Contributing Writer
Warren Alpert Medical School
Tess is a third year medical student at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, RI, class of 2023. In 2017, she graduated from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering and music. She enjoys singing, baking, and playing with puppies in her free time. After graduating medical school, Tess would like to pursue a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology with a focus on Maternal Fetal Medicine.