Did you feel dizzy/strange/faint during csection?

[Reastie]

Am having elcs for dc2 after a failed induction leading to csection with dd. It was a few years ago but I’ve been remembering the experience and how awful I felt during the csection and wondered if my experience was normal or not.

Effectively I felt very faint and perculiar during the entire procedure. I kept saying tk the anaesthetist ‘I don’t feel right’ and ‘I feel strange’ and ‘I feel nauseous’ but he said I was fine. I really wasn’t expecting that, I was expecting to feel the washing machine in my tummy (which I did) but I wasn’t prepared for a weird sort of drugged mental nauseous haze throughout. I haven’t read anywhere else where people describe this so I’m not sure if what I experienced was normal or not. I just imagined I’d feel normal but numb and wasn’t prepared for the strange ness of not feeling right. It was fine when they did the spinal at the beginning, it was once I was lying down.

If it’s not the norm I’d like to look into causes of it (?drop in blood pressure) and how to minimise it happening again as I felt awful.

How did you feel during your csection.

Yes I did. I think a drop in blood pressure can be expected though. I have a medical condition which means that I get a drop in blood pressure and heart rate, which I did. Caused severe vomitting. Wad given something to counteract it, as it was expectedgiven my condition. I would discuss with your consultant. Good luck!

I didn’t at all but because I am a total sick phobe I had in my birth plan that if there was anything they were going to do that would make me feel/be sick I wanted anti emetics. They gave me them before the section and the super lovely anethatist told me that if anything was going to make me feel dodgy it would be a drop in BP and she watched for that and I know she said it was dropping a bit and did something to pre empt anythinv and I felt fine. I know it’s not an issue at all in the grand scheme of getting your baby born safely but I was so grateful to the team that looked after me and felt like they really did everything they could with what was in my birth plan even though it was the small hours of the morning and an emergency section after a long labour.

The only other thing I would factor in is I did hypnobirthing (just used a book and audio tracks at home) and I do think that helped me keep calm when I got dashed off for the section and during it.

Dino I have emetophobia too. I made this clear to the anaesthetist who told me he would give me anti emetics. I felt so sick and awful during the section and a couple of hours after the anaesthetist came in and gleefully told me he’d given me no antiemetics because he knew I’d be ok. I was so upset about it (and still am). He hadn’t realised ad was surprised when I said I had had cyclizine injection from mw earlier in the day so I had had some anti emetics in my system but this time I want them to be more on the ball. I kept saying I felt perculiar and got in a huge horrible anxiety panic because of it and it didn’t improve.

I‘m also emetophobic and had a very positive experience with my elcs. Had to drink a small cup of liquid before the op which was to help against nausea (may have been an anti heartburn med). It tasted sweet and salty at the same time.

Didn‘t feel sick or anxious during the op at all. After they placed the baby on my chest I heard the anesthesist say to my husband „We‘ll move her (the baby) away in case she‘s sick (me)“. Normally this would have triggered me completely but I was so full of adrenaline and excitement at meeting my baby that it barely registered.

The only side effect I had was intense shaking in my legs which wasn‘t unpleasant at all, just weird. Apparently it‘s a common side effect of the spinal. I also didn‘t feel that much pulling or tugging during the entire op...even when they were getting the baby out it just felt like someone pressing down slightly on my stomach for a few seconds.

Thanks, the more I remember of my csection the more scared I am. The tugging in my tummy I can handle but it was the feeling perculiar/drugged/nauseous/faint that was truly horrible

I had something like you describe during mine and I was told it might happen. It was a bit like the beginning of travel sickness but didn't get as far as being sick. They gave me some sort of cooling roll that I could use myself which helped.
And I had ranitidine beforehand for heartburn while lying down.

I haven’t experienced a cs but did recently have surgery where I opted to stay awake and have an epidural. I felt very shakey and unwell (I had been fine previously!) I’m sure it was nerves combined with a concequential lowering of my bp.

I’ve heard great things about Hypnobirthing for elcs, which might be worth a go?

I've had three sections. The only time I felt like that was during the second one. I said to the anaesthetist that I felt woozy and he said that my blood pressure had dropped. They gave me a sick bucket and injected something to counteract it. I felt well again within a few mins. I remembered it though so when I had my third I told the anaesthetist prior and he gave me an injection of something to stop it happening again. Must have worked because I was absolutely fine.

This happened with my second. My normal low BP of 80/50 started to drop significantly and I became v wobbly and passed out briefly. The anaesthetist administered some meds and I ended up very shaky and freezing cold. There was a heatwave at the time and the staff and DH were sweating and I had a heated blower thing on me, special blankets and my teeth were still chattering. I felt shocking for around half an hour but the anaesthetist got it sorted.

It can happen. But they can also prevent/counteract it.

Halfway through mine I said ‘I feel sick’ the anethestist did some magic and I felt better.

Sounds like you had a rogue anethetist I think you have cause for complaint given his comments to you afterwards.

I was shaking & absolutely frozen during my EMCS, it was a reaction to the adrenaline in the epidural, I suffer from ME/CFS & have this reaction to local anaesthetic at the dentists as well.

I felt really woozy and vomited. It was over v quickly as they administered something. I did feel cold afterwards but dd2 was coming 7 weeks early so it was all a bit rushed.

I was warned I might feel sick so did feel prepared.

My blood pressure fell immediately and I felt as you describe. The anaesthetist injected something into the cannula in my hand and I felt immediately back to normal. Had the shakes and shivers after both sections.

I’ve been googling and discovered the anaesthetist had gross failings during anther csection in the same hospital and fled the country to avoid court . I can’t believe it!

You all say you had something magic given to you to help so hopefully given my past experience this will happen and it won’t be so bad next time.

This happened with my second c section (first one was fine). I started feeling very panicky and by the time the baby was out, they had to give me a shot of valium. only panic attack I have ever had.

I think it is a combination of the anesthetic, being unable to move etc. But I think the most significant thing was the anaesthetists in each case. My first one was older, very steady, utterly focused on me (and it didn't hurt that he reminded me of my dad). He listened carefully to me when I told him about my first delivery and my fears as a result. I felt very safe with him. The second one was younger, more interested in telling the nurse about his golf game and lobster dinner the day before than me. He had little interest in my medical history. I didn't feel safe. I wonder, OP, if you will have a better outcome with a different anaesthatist?

I had this in my second CS. I said “I feel a bit weird “ and DH said “that means she feels really bad” and the anaesthetist said “and there go her levels” they then injected something and (as the op hadn’t started) they dropped my head down and feet up. It didn’t last long as they corrected it

Would I be more likely to get a better experience if I went privately? Would they take more effort to make it as nice as possible for the clients and so make sure this wouldn’t have happened I wonder..?

I threw up during my cs. Also had the freezing cold and shaking issue and passed out at one point.

Think I was in shock - it was an emcs about 90mins after my (early) labour had started.

Actual operation/recovery was fine, but that side of it was horrid.

I felt really sick and shaky during my first section - due to low blood pressure. Had my second one this week and they gave me a phenyl ephedrine infusion which acts to preempt a drop in blood pressure. Felt fine throughout. Definitely mention it to the anaesthetist before hand and there are things they can do to help.

I felt very sick (and was sick) due to the antibiotics they gave me - the anaesthetist warned me I would do. I also nearly fell asleep - got very woozy- I think it was blood pressure or something. The anaesthetist made me start chatting as he said his monitors were starting to look bad!

Thanks welsh, will make a note of that

Ask to meet with your anaesthetist before your C-section (not as part of your pre-op, weeks before in their clinic).

My experiences were:

EMCS1 - all very hurried as baby needed to get out quickly - major BP issues, was violently sick, briefly blacked out and felt dreadful for hours.

EMCS2 (which should have been an ELCS but I went into labour, it was still a less “emergency” one than my first) - I saw an anaesthetist as part of the antenatal process (but she didn’t end up doing my CS). This was better, I felt sick and wobbly (couldn’t hold my baby and spent quite some time in recovery) but didn’t throw up or pass out - I did keep referring them to the anaesthetist’s antenatal notes.

ELCS -I saw the same anaesthetist in her antenatal clinic and this time she was in theatre with me. Bingo! Absolutely straightforward, was given IV anti-emetics, loads of fluids (puffed up like an elephant for ages afterwards), not sure what else, but I felt fine, did skin-to-skin with baby etc. At the end the anaesthetist told me that my BP was still a bit low and I’d need some time in recovery, but I wouldn’t have guessed. She went back in, did another CS, came back to see me and sent us up to the ward - so maybe an hour tops in recovery.

I think there’s a lot they can do to help if it’s been discussed in advance.

Yes, I did during my second section due to the drop in my blood pressure. They gave me stuff to counter it. With my third section I explained the issue before and whatever they did to try to prevent it happening again worked as I felt fine throughout the procedure.

I did as well. I think it’s partly because your brain isn’t receiving feedback from your lower half properly so you feel a bit weird. I felt exactly the same. I met the anaesthetist before hand and told her I was anxious. They had anti anxiety med they gave me and bumped me to first place on list so I wasn’t waiting. Worth seeing if your midwife service does anything similar.

Personally I wouldn’t go private-these ops are so routine for nhs and you’re in right place if anything goes wrong!