Long way off but c-sections!!

[Molly33]

I seen my midwife for the first time yesterday and feel a bit deflated. I have a complex medical problem which they seem to think i wont be able to give birth naturally because of the stress and i wont be able to have an epidural either. So i take it that means general anaesthetic? Can anyone tell me about it? Im upset as i wanted to be the first to hold my baby. To bond all thats going through my head is not bonding other people handling my baby and me not seeing him/her until ive awoken. And the recovery of not being able to do much and being in alot of pain..

Well, it depends on what the complex medical condition is, tbh. While the booking midwife may end up turning out to be right, she's not the expert in whether a C-section is your best option (that would be the obstetricians) or whether you can or can't have a spinal or epidural anaesthetic (that would be the anaesthetists). I've come across a fair few women who've been led to believe they can't have a spinal/epidural when that's not the case once an anaesthetist sees them. You'll probably need to see both at some point later in the pregnancy to discuss birth options/plan further.

If it does turn out that you do need a GA, although it will be a different experience it doesn't mean you won't bond with your baby! You can see them in recovery as soon as you wake up, have skin-to-skin etc and breastfeed if you want to. Pain can be an issue if you really can't have a spinal/epidural but there are local anaesthetic blocks which your anaesthetist can use and/or a PCA (IV morphine pump with a button for you to press) to keep you as comfortable as possible. Again, you'll be able to discuss your options with an anaesthetist nearer the time to help manage your concerns.

I'm having a section under ga in two weeks, I will try and come back and update.
Please don't worry, you should be referred to a consultant to discuss who will then refer you to an anaesthetist.

Although I didn't have my section under ga my baby had to go directly to ICU and neither my husband or I were able to hold her for 3 days. Yes it's tough not getting to hold baby in their first moments but honestly it has had no effect on bonding with our little one. We have a close bond and she is breastfed.

That would be great wowbutter keep me posted! And my medical problem is epilepsy sock queen i have three types uncontrolled i cant have an epidural due to the myoclonics i have sudden jolts. Im just unsure on it all thanks for the replys.

Have you been told that by an anaesthetist, or just by the midwife?

An epidural is different from a spinal, which is what's usually given for Caesarean, and sometimes one is appropriate but not the other. I can't comment on your specific circumstances, but make sure that you get referred to an obstetric anaesthetic clinic. They probably won't see you till much later in pregnancy but when you do go there they will be able to give you a better idea of what may or may not be possible.

I had an elective CS under GA recently. If you have any specific queries about my experience I'm happy to try to help

I had a crash c section under General anaesthetic. Your other half won't be in the room either. They will put the baby on you as you are coming round, the baby was kind of in my armpit but they had already put the nappy/hat on. It's not ideal but just focus on it being the best thing for you and your baby. They are probably saying General is best because you have to sit very still for a spinal/epidural and if you moved it could be disastrous for you. When is your consultant appointment?

I had a EMCS under GA in June. Happy to answer any questions about my experience.

I had an emcs whilst hallucinating with ds and then some funky mental health issues due to the hallucinations afterwards and we bonded. It took a while for me to process what happened but with hindsight the bonding happened way faster than I thought. I remember looking at him in the incubator at NICU and feeling this intense guilt and need to protect him, I was just too busy hating myself to realise that I wouldn't have felt like that if I wasn't already bonding with him.

As for recovery, it varies so much from person to person but it's not always bad. I had 75 hours of labour, failed forceps and the emcs. I got up by myself within 5 hours, got dressed including tights and almost gave the head midwife a heart attack. Dh says her face was priceless. Within 24 hours I was walking the length of the hospital to NICU including stairs (irrational fear of lifts), didn't take more than a day of pain killers and went to Costco on the way home from hospital on day 4. I was capable of looking after him all by myself.

I would ask for anesthetist appointment as soon as possible as they are best people to ask.