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Dr. Avigayil Wittenberg, a pediatrician at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, was working her regular Friday shift in the hospital nursery when she began having contractions.

Dr. Wittenberg, a resident of Ness Ziona who was in her ninth month of pregnancy, nonchalantly completed her shift, and then went up one floor and checked herself in to the hospital's labor and delivery unit. and within forty-five minutes gave birth to her third child, a son weighing 3.250 kg (7.15 lbs).

Speaking to Israel Hayom, Dr. Wittenberg said: "The excitement and surprise were at their peak. I did not expect to give birth immediately after my shift. Within seconds I had turned from doctor to patient, with the same staff who until just a few minutes prior had been taking care of children with me. I am happy that everything worked out for the best."

"Throughout the entire pregnancy, the hospital staff was considerate of me, because it's physical work, and the patients' responses were also warm - from the grandmothers blessing me in every language to the mothers who worried about whether I would become sick from their children. There's something really helpful about being a mother and a pediatrician. You understand mothers' hearts and you can share and identify with their personal experiences."

When asked why she did not go on maternity leave to avoid such a situation, Dr. Wittenberg said: "I told myself that if the baby does not come by my due date, I'll go on leave, but I preferred to be in the hospital because last time, I gave birth within fifteen minutes of the first contraction, and ended up giving birth at home. So I preferred to be in the hospital so that I would be close by and be able to go immediately to the delivery room. It ended up being on a day that I was working in the nursery, and I jokingly told the nurses, 'Just wait, soon I'll be back with my baby,' and that's exactly what happened."