They had questions about what had happened in their son's bris. Mind you - this is pretty atypical. Most people have a wonderful, surprise-free experience, and all goes well. But life is sometimes accompanied by surprises and unexpected turns.
While the photos that were sent to me can't be shared on this blog, I will tell you that there's a reason that I pride myself on the circumcision looking as nice as possible hours after bris. There is often swelling, and not much we can do about that. But aside from the natural swelling, to have the circumcision look palatable to any observer is really an important goal. I've had many parents squeamishly look only to discover, "Hey. That actually looks good!"
The natural redness that is exposed through the act of circumcision is not a frightening vision - you just need to know what to expect.
But when things don't go exactly as they should, you need to understand EVERYTHING that has happened in the circumcision and in what direction a proper healing process should go.
Anyway, these parents had questions. In general, when I get these kinds of calls, while in some cases they are in fact talking to their mohel, in other cases, they don't want to talk to him because they either do not want to hurt his feelings or feel they do not have a sympathetic ear for their concerns. This is why I do believe that parents who do not know the mohel they are hiring should at the very least have a phone conversation in advance of the birth, to be sure they are comfortable with their choice of mohel.
Some previous blog posts addressing these issues are linked here:
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2010/06/importance-of-trust.html
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2011/04/consultant.html
And just FYI - I take many precautions to avoid the issues that I have been consulted to share information. I always tell parents that without actually having examined the baby, my opinion is only worth so much (a picture is good, but it isn't the same).
It's hard enough for some people to circumcise. Should the experience be anything other than as smooth as possible? I don't think so. Here are a few precautions every mohel should be taking. If they are not doing these, I honestly think every parent should look elsewhere.
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2016/02/safety-precautions-what-you-need-to-know.html
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2015/07/getting-percentages-right.html
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2011/08/magic-of-marker.html
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2016/04/tools-of-trade-i-shield.html
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2016/04/tools-of-trade-ii-metzitzah-tube.html
http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2016/06/tools-of-trade-viii-gloves.html
