Okay, I know I’ve shared my birth experience a few times before but for reference, I had a c-section with [name]Rowan[/name] after 23 hours of labor (failed induction) and long story short, my epidural did not work because it was not placed properly and I had to be knocked out on the operating table with nitrous and ketamine. It was extremely traumatic and obviously I am absolutely petrified of another c-section/epidural. I am not pregnant, but we will soon be TTC our 2nd and final child. [name]Ever[/name] since [name]Rowan[/name] was born, I have been researching ways of making my next birth less traumatic. So I have a few questions and I’d like to hear from mothers who have had general anesthesia, a VBAC with no epidural, or medical professionals.
What are the risks of a c-section with general anesthesia compared to one with an epidural/spinal?
What is the difference between a epidural and a spinal?
What are the risks of a VBAC with no epidural, and would it be less risky than a c-section or more so?
[name]Will[/name] the hospital/doctors fight me if I choose general anesthesia? And do I have a right to demand it?
I never got past 4 cm dilated, I was induced 4 days past my due date. Is it silly to even consider a VBAC?
Any information, advice, or stories you have will help me greatly!
I totally understand why you are freaked out! I’ve had two epidurals and one spinal and none of them went well. I am likely having a repeat C-section with this baby and told my OB yesterday I was most anxious about the anesthesia! I’ve done a lot of research on this and will tell you what I know…
What are the risks of a c-section with general anesthesia compared to one with an epidural/spinal?
general anesthesia is not an ideal choice - more issue with mom’s breathing and likely greater blood loss because uterus will not contract (someone correct me if I’m getting this wrong…) Plus the anesthesia will get to baby and likely will affect baby’s breathing.
What is the difference between a epidural and a spinal?
a spinal is a one time shot deeper into the spine, whereas an epidural is a catheter placed in a different area of the spine (not as deep I believe). The epidural can be used for longer amounts of time, whereas the spinal is 2ish hours.
What are the risks of a VBAC with no epidural, and would it be less risky than a c-section or more so?
The American College of Obst. and Gyn. recommends VBAC as a safer option for most women over a repeat C-section. There are risks (most people think of uterine rupture), but usually the risks are lower than with major surgery. Of course, this changes if you have an induction, other medical issues, etc. VBAC is great, but is not right for everyone. A VBAC without an epidural is fine to my knowledge. I had an attempted VBAC last time without medication. My doctor said he preferred it because I would be aware of signs of uterine rupture.
[name]Will[/name] the hospital/doctors fight me if I choose general anesthesia? And do I have a right to demand it?
From what I’ve read, they will fight you on it and some doctors will refuse to give it to you because of the added risks to you and baby. It’s considered “emergencies only” when there is not time for an epidural or spinal to take effect (or certain situations where the patient has metal rods in the spine, etc.).
I never got past 4 cm dilated, I was induced 4 days past my due date. Is it silly to even consider a VBAC?
I don’t think it’s silly at all. I would recommend waiting for labor to start naturally if there is no medical issue - this could be up to two weeks past your due date! ICAN is a good resource if there is a chapter near you.
I hope this helped a bit. I HATE HATE HATE the idea of getting another spinal/epidural, but my doctor reminded me yesterday that a C-section after a long labor is much harder than a planned C-section. The anesthesia, for me, is a necessity (I wouldn’t want surgery without it!). I am spending way more time freaking out about it than it will actually take to have it inserted. Plus the stress isn’t good for baby. If you decide on a C-section, I encourage you to search out information and talk to your doctor about what choices you would have. Some areas offer more “gentle” C-sections. The more I am reading, the more in control and empowered I feel, which takes away a lot of the stress. Good luck to you!
I am very interested in the answers to this! I think I would personally be too uncomfortable with a vbac, but my epidural the first time around was less than a pleasant experience. I suppose it wasn’t the most horrible thing ever, but I have also wondered if asking for general anesthesia for any future C-sections would be an option (though I am not even close to ttc so I haven’t ever asked my dr. about any of the risks).
Though I can’t answer all your questions, I am about a month away from attempting a VBAC and my best advice is to find an ob that you trust and have an honest conversation with him or her. A good doctor will listen to your concerns, answer all your questions and discuss any risks, as well as go through a VBAC success rate calculation with you, which can be a great help as you decide what route to take.
I am pregnant and planning on trying for a vbac. I have a similar story, 41 weeks, failure to progress and c-section (no general though). What I have come to decide (and obviously this is not true for everyone) is that I cannot have too much of a plan about this. My Dr. feels I have a good chance of a VBAC if I go into labor before 40 weeks. At or after 40 weeks will likely lead to a c-section (we have big babies in our family). Also, while some doctors will do a gentle induction with a vbac, my doc says absolutely no pitocin or labor progressing drugs due to risk of rupture so if I do go into labor but don’t progress-c-section. There are too many variables involved for me to get my heart set. But I do believe that a vbac is my best option if it works and so I am am going to do everything I can toward that end. But I know that in the end, my odds are probably 50-50 at best.
Thanks for your stories. I had to fight so much when I was pregnant with [name]Rowan[/name], I wanted an elective c-section because I have a family history of traumatic births and shoulder dystocia. I happen to live in a very “crunchy, natural” kind of town and the local hospital advocates natural birth and does not perform elective c-sections. I feel like I wasn’t listened to, I wasn’t treated like an individual case… I was just another scared first time mom that was terrified of labor. Honestly, the idea of having another epidural is the worst to me. It was horrible. The idea of a natural birth with no pain meds is less scary than another failed epidural and being cut open still feeling a lot of it.
When I left the hospital, the hospital administrator came into my room to “talk to me” and apologize. She was basically talking me out of suing and even tried to get me to sign a form releasing the hospital of liability. They knew how much they messed up and were trying to cover their tracks. She tried to blame the epidural not working on me being too twitchy and being slightly overweight. I don’t know how my next birth will go, but I am preparing myself for a fight either way. Whether I want a VBAC, general anesthesia, or something else. I have been going to the gym 5-6 times a week so I can be in the best shape possible so if I end up wanting a VBAC, they can’t use my health or weight as an excuse to say no.
I’m so sorry you had such a horrible/traumatic experience the first time around. Like a few others here I am planning a vbac for this pregnancy, I’m 39w1d today, so we are playing the waiting game at my house! I’ll be sure to check in again in a few weeks with an update on how everything went.
My c-section was also an emergency and it took them two tries to place the epidural and I was very close to being put under general. I think, if I remember correctly from my surgical notes that I wound up with a combined epidural/spinal. I’m glad I wasn’t under completely. [name]Leo[/name] had to go straight to NICU after delivery for swallowing and aspirating meconium, so I didn’t get to hold him right away, but at the time I think I was so exhausted from the day, and a bit high on morphine for the disappointment to really set in.
I wouldn’t choose to be under general, but hearing about your experience, I can understand why you might want that option. I do think having a scheduled c-section, would make a difference though. Everything would be a lot calmer, there would be less of a rush as it wouldn’t be the “emergency” situation it was the first time around.
Anyway, its good that you are thinking about these things now, giving yourself lots of time to gather all the information you need to make the decision.
@rin, believe it or not, it wasn’t technically an emergency situation. Her heart rate was fine, no signs of fetal distress. And I was also fine, my body just wouldn’t progress past 4 cm and they had already broken my water so there was no other option. It was just a “Well, I guess we’ll just go ahead with a c-section then” declaration. Almost like they knew the induction would fail, so in some weird way they were giving me what I wanted? Who knows. They wouldn’t believe me when I kept saying “Why do I still feel pain? Are they gonna give me something else to numb me in the OR?” frantically and the nurse just shushing me and saying “Oh, you have an epidural honey, you won’t feel a thing!” They didn’t notice I could feel it until my body went into shock and I was screaming. The nurse/surgical assistant next to my head yelled “She’s feeling all of this!” and literally squeezed a bag of ketamine into my IV and I was out of it, my head was spinning and I kind of had an out of body experience. I remember waking up to nurses pushing on my abdomen to get everything out in recovery and them not understanding why I was moaning in pain, I’m pretty sure they thought I had had a spinal or an epidural that actually worked. I had my husband trying to show me [name]Rowan[/name] and nurses trying to talk to me and I couldn’t focus.
Anyway, I will be looking for your update and I hope everything goes smoothly for you!
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer and Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Buckley[/name] both have lots of info on benefits/risks to epidurals and c-sections. Your birth story sounds awful, I’m so sorry you had to go through that! In terms of making your next birth less traumatic, have you thought about hiring a doula? Having an advocate and someone to help you make decisions could really boost your confidence. I definitely don’t think you’re silly for considering a VBAC, for most women it’s the safest option.
Took me a while to remember and find this thread again!
I had a vbac a little less than 1 month ago with [name_m]Ronan[/name_m], who arrived 1week and 1 day late (and on his brother’s birthday!)
My contractions were strong and regular from the get go, and my total labour was just over 8 hours. It would have been faster if he had been in a better position (he was posterior, and no amount of hands and kneeds etc could make him budge!). Labour began just before midnight and I was fully dilated by about 4am. Because he was posterior however, he was taking a really long time to move down and turn through my pelvis.
I managed without any pain relief for some time after I was fully and getting the urge to push, however, I began to get pain across the scar from my section, while pushing. I’d get the urge, push then get this horrible sensation at the scar. It became quite distracting (read: thoughts about uterine rupture!) and I was unable to just use deep breathing through the pain. I tried the gas, but the secondary pain was still very distracting and we decided that since baby still had a fair way to move down and was going to take a while, that I’d get an epidural in (though it was placed at only 80% strength, so I still felt the contractions and needed to breathe through them, but it took away the pain I was feeling across the scar).
There was a time limit on how long they would let me push for, and I went over it by some time. In the end I had ventouse assistance (episiotomy), also his shoulder caused a 2nd degree tear on its way out. I found the stiches far more uncomfortable than the c-section wound, purely because of the location. But, my gosh, so much faster to heal!
The best bit though was having him straight onto my chest after delivery.
If you decide on a C-section, I encourage you to search out information and talk to your doctor about what choices you would have. Some areas offer more “gentle” C-sections. The more I am reading, the more in control and empowered I feel, which takes away a lot of the stress. Good luck to you!