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VBAC
Has anyone reviewed their medical records for their c/s?
My doula recommended it, since I was still fairly far out. I haven't yet, as I'm not sure I really want to figure out if my c/s was truly necessary or not, I'm kind of in the 'probably wasn't necessary, at least not as early as it was, but a bit of ignorance is still bliss' stage. Was wondering if anyone had and if they got something out of it or not.
Thanks!
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Re: Has anyone reviewed their medical records for their c/s?
M/C Dec 2010 - 5w5d Missing my sweet angel baby.
I did. I learned some valuable things, like 1) I was not as overdue as they thought I was, because my son was still covered in tons of vernix; and 2) the notes from my labor said that I was in a moderate amount of pain, which was a flat out lie - and it kind of made me realize that they were probably basing that judgment on the monitoring moreso than on me, the actual laboring woman. I'm sure there were some other things, too, but I can't remember what they are right now.
Reading through my file was kind of emotional for me. When I was reading over the labor notes, I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. I noticed how they noted everything down, like "coached patient on dealing with pain," and that is when I truly began to understand that there is no way you can learn how to deal with excruciating pain while you're in the middle of it - you have to prepare for it beforehand.
And then reading about the c/s itself, I was surprised at how clinical it all sounded. "A live male was found in the vertex position..." etc, etc. It was weird to read about myself and my son that way. It all kind of cemented my desire to having as non-medicalized a birth as possible.
The hospital, probably. My OB's notes from all my prenatal visits were included in my records. I'm not sure if that's how all hospitals work, though...
I have - at my first appointment at teh hospital for this pregnancy. Some of it I remembered correctly, other bits they hadn't told us.
What I knew: I had a very long, slow labour. 48 hours of 5min painful contractions to get to 3cm, then another 12 (with pitocin) to get stalled at 8cm. At the time, they said he was in distress, or owuld be soon if we didn't have a c/s. They suggested a non-emergency c/s as opposed to waiting a few hours. I was too tired to resist.
What I didn't know: I found out that he stalled at 8cm b/c his head got wedged transverse. My body and baby weren't cooperating.
They were still very (worryingly) vague about whether or not DS was actually in distress.
I wonder constantly if I'd not been in that hospital, if I'd had more supportive MWs (getting me moving around rather than laying me on a bed, telling me to try pain meds I didn't want, telling not to move b/c hte monitors kept slipping off, etc) that I would have had better luck. Or if my body just wasn't cooperating. I know there's not statistical correlation, but my mom had 3 full days of labour with her first, and refused a c/s repeatedly (to tear a bit).
I am honestly doubtful that I will have enough support this time, esp as I'm at hte same hospital (no choice) and have a 'time limit' for a 'trial' of labour. Ugh.
You get them from the hospital....although I managed to grab a copy of my OR report that slipped out of my chart when I went for my postpartum.
Like PP, I just loved (sarcasm) how it said they found a "live male infant"....what were you expecting to find? A grapefruit?
However, I work in medicine (as an RN) so reading the clinical chart is not that hard for me because I write the same way. You have to be very clinical and not put emotion or anything else into it. Just the facts - whatever you think they are.
I give them credit for telling me the reasons for my CS and then those being the same ones that they used for "reasons for surgery"...but I still don't think those are good enough reasons.
I've thought about getting my chart from the hospital, but I think I will wait and see how I feel emotionally after this birth before I go bringing up something that stressful.
Rated "L" For Life Blog
I've looked over my Operative Report from my OB. She actually forgot to mention anything about my complications with the epidural not working and feeling the entire surgery. I let her know about it, and she apologized for her records not matching the anesthesiologist's.
Other than that, I was pleased with her diagnosis of why the c/s was warranted. She put "failed induction" and "prolonged rupture of membranes". Nothing at all about failure to progress or CPD or any of that nonsense. She knew I wanted a VBAC before I signed the c/s consent, so I think that helped with her wording.
*Background info: My water broke on its own at home the night before my due date. My OB was not available for my labor, so I was under the "care" of the on-call OB that not one nurse had even met. He never once came in to speak to me in the 12 hours he was there. By the time my OB got there, I had already been given over 1/2 dozen unwanted interventions.*
~Sweet Girl *8/18/08* c-section ~ Sweet Boy *12/2/10* VBAC ~ Sweet Boy *8/14/12* VBAC~
VBAC Birth Story 2VBAC Birth Story
I read mine. I was kind of hoping for an "a-ha!" moment while reading them, but I didn't have one. It was all information I already knew: failure to progress and CPD. Although my OB never told me about the CPD, so I thought it was interesting it was in my chart.
I did not ask for the nurse's notes though, so I'm going to request those next.
We moved when DS was six months, so I got a copy of my medical records for future pregnancies. I got it from the medical record dept, but it was a university hospital
I read them a couple of times, and what really drove me nuts was that the MWs original reason to put me on high-alert notice for "low amniotic fluid" (and I was 41 weeks) was for an AFI level on the low range of normal...that started daily visits to the hospital, and then finally culminated in me showing up in early labor and not be allowed to go home (they told me and DH it was bc DS1's heart rate wasn't reassuring, but my records have "normal FHR" all over them at the time they were telling us this!). Not to mention that the c-section was for "failure to descend", but it wasn't mentioned that he was OP. Argh.
It bummed me out to read them, but I still did - for a lot of the same reasons others have listed, I wanted to know if what they told me and what I experienced lined up with what they were recording...
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
I WISH I HAD DONE THIS!!!
My whole post pregnancy PTSD experience would have been VERY different had I reviewed my surgical records after my c section.
My first baby I had Placenta Previa, so I knew in advance that I'd have a section and I had time to come to terms with that... regardless, I was not prepared for it panning out as the life/death emergency it really was the night of the big bleed/blizzard. I wound up with a vertical scar and PTSD. Terrified of the thought of having... another child/pregnancy/placenta previa/ c section/sex. Pretty well put me in a world of hurting... could have destroyed the marriage as well.
When I accidentally got pregnant 4 years later, at my first prenatal appt- the nurse interviewing asked me if i'd considered a VBAC. Her question hurt like the lash of a whip. I bluntly snapped back that I had a vertical scar. She said, "Let me check your chart"
I wanted to smack her- "I think I know what way my scar goes!" I thought....
but I didn't know that sometimes the outside cut and the inside cut do not line up! My uterus was cut across- only the skin on the outside was cut vertical.
WHY WAS I NEVER TOLD!!???