From Behind the Blue Curtain

One of the things on my to-do list was to get a copy of my operative report from my c-section. I had never thought of doing this until a midwife at an ICAN meeting mentioned it. So today I took my girls and went down to the doctor's office and got a copy. It was quick and painless and didn't cost a thing. Once it was in my hands, I was suddenly so anxious to read it. I knew it had a lot of medical details that I probably wasn't aware of; mysteries from behind the blue curtain.

For some women who are still unsure of the medical events around their cesarean section, this might provide some help. While it doesn't give all the information, it should state the reason for the c-section, a detailed description of the placenta, delivery of the child, and how the incision was closed.

Believe it or not, I enjoyed reading about my placentas. That might seem weird, but I didn't have the chance to see what my girls were living off of for all those months. I also learned my girls APGAR scores for the first time, as I was never told in the hospital (or maybe I was told and was really drugged at the time). I read the specifics on the events that occurred right after their births, when they were cleaned, weighed and taken to the nursery. These were all things that my eyes never saw that day. The report also confirmed the type of incision I had along with the details of how my incision was closed. I was glad to read that my doctor used two layers of sutures to close my uterus instead of just one.

The other benefit of getting a copy for yourself, is that when you go to your health care provider for a future pregnancy, you know just as much as they know about your c-section (medically speaking).

Now I can also see how this might be hard for some who are still recovering from a traumatic experience with their c-section. Sometimes knowing all the details at the moment isn't beneficial when the emotional pain is still very raw. It's definitely a personal decision but something to think about for the future.