Posted by
Chy
19 yrs ago
Hi, I've elected to have a c-section done next month and my obyn/gyn suggested I go under general anaesthesia rather than get an epidural/spinal. I would like to hear from anyone who's had the experience and how they felt after waking up.
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Is there a medical reason you are going under? i'm just curious - I didn't want anything in my spine, so I asked my father (he's an obgyn) if I could just go under general. My father told me that there are more risks in that scenario - so I had the spinal epidural. (I had complications from that as well so that wasn't pleasant.)
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@@
19 yrs ago
I'm sorry I can't answer your actual question but I'd certainly prefer to be awake for the surgery (if possible). Do you really have to have a general?
Having a general after an op years ago I remember being so groggy afterwards, totally out of it - it's not the way I'd like to meet my new baby.
No having said that, if you have no choice then you do what ever you need to to have a happy, healthy baby.
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I thought a GA is only administered for c section in a last minute emergency situation? So unless there is another medical reason, I wouldn't go for that. You wont be able to meet your baby straight away (probably realistically for a few hours), your partner will probably not be able to come into the delivery suite with you so he wont meet the baby straight away either, and you will feel groggy and horrid for a lot longer than you need to. Also consider why you are electing for a c section in the first place. If there is no medical reason then why not a VB? You can have an epidural too and so need to be concerned about pain. Much better and you'll be able to be up and about within a few hours rather than a day or so.
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Chy
19 yrs ago
Well I originally thought that going under GA would be more risky but my obyn/gyn explained that the risk of getting an epidural/spinal is in the administering of the needle itself, that has its risks. In his opinion, he feels that it's much safer to go under GA and I come out of it almost immediately after the baby comes out anyway but surely there's gonna be some grogginess. There's several reasons why I've chosen to get a c-section but I won't go into that now. Just that it's recommended in my case. I guess every obyn/gyn has their own opinion about this but like most, I thought that going under GA was not as common these days. I can still change my mind, it's not like a sure thing so I'm still considering the other option. Thanks to all.
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This was a very normal event 30 years ago, but now most OB units have a 95% rate of regional blocks. The reasons for this are numerous, but essentially, it is better for the baby, if you are put to sleep the baby gets some anesthesia too, If you are awake you can experience the magic of birth, the first cry, holding your baby within a few minutes of birth AND you are MUCH more comfortable afterwards as the epidural works for up to 12 hours making it less necessary to get pain killers which can get into your milk. Its an absolute no-brainer.
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There are virtually no risks with an epidural. It is administered well below the level of the spinal cord for delivery (c-section or VB) and so the risk of any nerve damage (that might result in paralysis) is minute and extremely rare. In additon, consider that your baby will be recieving the GA as well so may be more at risk from that - maybe making inital breath taking even more difficult than usual if also groggy and perhaps respiratory wise a little more compromised than usual from the drugs given to you. Whenever we have a GA we need to be helped to breath whilst under and so this effect will happen to your baby too. If you have an epidural there is absolutely no transfer of anaesthesia to the baby. You might like to talk to an anaethetist about this GA recommendation and also get some more information about epidurals from them too (how they are administered, actual risks involved etc.) just so you can make an even more informed decision. Good Luck!
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Hmmm...I find your OB a bit strange. My dad told me that these days there is a new needle - and if used, there are very few cases of spinal fluid leakage (which is the complication I had in Seoul, not in HK) and so patients recover from epidural very very easily. He did tell me that the new needle is very difficult to use - so sometimes people get jabbed multiple times before it goes in properly. My dad said that there are very FEW cases where a GA is warranted - and if you're normal and healthy, you are not one of those cases.
I had a c-section with the spinal epidural - it was not a great experience for me. But I had extenuating circumstances - the crazy doc asking me if I was covered for insurance AS he was in the process of taking the baby out, the anaethetist WHO COULD NOT STOP YAPPING about stupid totally unrelated things - I was NOT under, I could still hear everything, my husband not being present, and having my arms and my chest strapped down like I was some sort of psycho patient. On top of that, spinal headaches that took three blood patches to eliminate.
Most of my friends have great experiences with their c-sections, although none I know of have ever had it under GA.
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Chy
19 yrs ago
Thank you so much to everyone for sharing their experiences and advice with me. I will definitely look into it further and discuss the pros and cons with my obyn/gyn. I am most concerned about the fact that my baby will also get some of the anaesthesia as mentioned here so this is one aspect that I will bring up with him.
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@@
19 yrs ago
Hi Chy,
I was doing a search for something on this site last night and came across your post about getting pregnant. It seems right from the start you have been terrified about giving birth.
Is this the driving force for the GA? Of course it's none of my business but if this is the case perhaps there is some way to help you over come your fears??
I don't know any woman who hasn't been terrified before the birth of their first child, I know I certainly was! I've had both a VB and C-section and certainly had two very different experiences.
Of course childbirth isn't a walk in the park but it is in its self quite an amazing experience, one that I'm very proud to have accomplished and plan to do again.
Also don't let an OB bully you into doing something because it suits him/her. My father loathes it when woman want to give birth in beanbags etc because it's really tough to get down and see what's going on but he does respect his patients wishes.
Anyway, my mother gave birth to me under a GA almost 40 years ago (hardly recalls the first day of my life!) and we have a fabulous relationship, and isn't that what really counts.
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There is no doubt that the risks of GA are far greater than the risks of Epidural and in fact one of the reasons why C-sections are considered much safer nowadays than they used to be, is mainly because most women dont have to undergo GA.
If you are the doctor, however, it is far easier to be able to do your work "in peace" without the mum or dad being there to comment or make demands, so some still prefer this amazingly old fashioned and much riskier way with the operation! I am really suprised that this is even still allowed for non-emergency sitauations.
Strongly suggest you to to talk to your OB again and ask what opinions he or she has in using epidural during vaginal birth? He or she must be quite against that then?
In any case, like people above have said, it is also nicer experience to be able to hold your baby right after the birth, and the recovery after the surgery is much shorter than if you have to recover after a GA, where you might feel both really dizzy and sore for 1 - 2 days.
I hope this helps, and have a lovely birth!
Hulda
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