Ok...so planning #4 has got me thinking.  I had a HORRIBLE time with my C Section.  I really am going to be asking for a VBAC and my doctor is all for it because I birthed both boys vaginally.  DD was transverse so I needed a section.  The minute they gave me my spinal I just started throwing up uncontrollably.  Not fun when you are strapped down.  Then my blood pressure kept dropping, my heart was about to pop out of my chest from having such a rapid heart rate....I was a mess...and scared to death.  If I do need a section again, I want to seriously consider being knocked out for it.  What are the pros and cons to this?  Will my baby be really effected?  What do you all recommend in L&D?  And will my dh be allowed in even if I'm knocked out?  What do they give to put you out?  I have had surgery before where I got a drug to make me sleepy through IV. 

K...give me the scoop...Thanks!

I hate when patients want to be put to sleep for their c-sections.

#1 You have to be intubated. SO NO! DH is not allowed in.

#2 The baby receives this anesthesia and we have issues trying to resuscitate your baby because of the meds in it's system.

#3 Pain control SUCKS after general anesthesia. Pretty much if you are awake then you are hurting for 24 hours or more after your section.

I would encourage everyone to get an Epidural with Duramorph injected in it. This anesthesia has the least amount of side effects to Mom and Baby and the Duramorph makes you comfortable up to 12 hours. It is WONDERFUL! I was good friends with our anesthesiologist and she came back and redosed my epidural with Duramorph before she went home that evening and it lasted all night. Even my best friend got this when she had her hysterectomy and said it was the bomb!

Now, I know that your thinking that "Isn't the spinal and epidural basically the same thing?" Basically it is , but NOT. The epidural is in a different space in between your vertebrae than a spinal is. So the medicine gets to your body differrently. I see more patients blood pressures drop and the nausea with the spinal than the epidural. And LOTS of patients throw up when they come to from their general c-section. I would not suggest heaving with a fresh c-section incision?

The key is to talk with your OB prior to your hospital stay and tell them your wishes. If anesthesia tries to talk you into something different, stick to your guns and tell them to call your OB if they still give you a hard time.

Also, next time around they can load you up with anti nausea meds before receiving either.

The anesthesia at my hospital do all spinals now because they say they are cheaper for the patient. NOT true, the real reason they do them is that they're faster to do and need less monitoring after they're placed. My friend really wanted the epidural and they wouldn't do it for her. It was her third c-section and she said she had epidurals with the other two and never hurt like she did with this spinal one. I asked her why didn't she call our OB to come and he would have made sure she got what she wanted, and she replied that she didn't want to rock the boat.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Wow!!!  I'm so glad I asked.  That is really not for me then. Glad I asked. 

They did give me the anti nausea cocktail.  It didn't work...LOL  Would they have a different protocol then just the one shot cocktail?  I barf with the epidural also except with ds#2 I insisted they let me chew pepermint gum after I got it because I knew it would ward off the nausea.  Worked in college when I would go drinking too ...so I didn't barf with that epidural, but with my first labor I did...about 15 minutes after the epi was in I was throwing up like crazy!  They gave me something that knocked me out for the rest of the labor. 

I told the anestesiologist about my barf factor and he insisted the cocktail would take care of it...yeah right...LOL

I think my heartrate was going crazy because of my nerves...so nothing to do about that one.  The blood pressure thing scares me though because I already have very low blood pressure and it went dangerously low during the section.  I am praying so hard that the next baby cooperates and lets me do a VBAC sucessfully!!!