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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Asleep Or Awake In Elective Cesarean

13 replies

My3boys9910 · 12/04/2019 12:50

Anyone chose to be put to sleep?...My first was emergency so I was asleep...And my last 2 I was awake...(7 years appart) But they really traumatised me & I'm on my 4th and last now & really loosing sleep thinking of the surgery...I find it hard to go against their advise of it's better to be awake...but I really dont want to be!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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itbemay · 12/04/2019 12:57

Will you have the choice?

Original poster

My3boys9910 · 12/04/2019 12:58

Yeah

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HavelockVetinari · 12/04/2019 12:59

It'll be hard to find an anaesthetist who would do a general without clinical need - can you ask to see your consultant and explain how anxious you are about a spinal?

PatrickMerricksGoshawk · 12/04/2019 12:59

Was your last one emergency or elective?

Original poster

My3boys9910 · 12/04/2019 13:04

My last was awake but I had to be gassed during the end as I could feel it!(This happened with my second aswell) I have been offered each time to be under general anesthetic or awake BUT they advise your awake as it helps recovery...so I just go with it...but I'm terrified...The spinal block...All the equipment and surgical environment is just awful for me.Plus the fear of again feeling pain...

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chipperchop · 12/04/2019 13:27

If you’ve felt the surgery twice, there’s no way I’d risk that again and would be asking for a general. Good luck

kelly14 · 12/04/2019 14:27

This will be my 3rd section, 1 emergency but awake and 1 elective last year awake.
Everyone said how amazing it would be and a calm experience but I hated it so I totally get how you feel.

I’m not anxious enough I would want to be put asleep as think that would actually make me more anxious lol
But I hated laying there and everything was so sterile and white and quiet. With my emergency the radio was on but not for elective.
Although I couldn’t feel pain I could feel them tugging on me and could see my body actually moving up and down table where they were tugging but that’s normal as long as no pain.
I started panicking though and was crying as it feels very surreal. Was over within 10-15 mins thank god but I’m not looking forward to doing it again!

Flamingosnbears · 12/04/2019 14:28

Sounds like you need something stronger than the spinal like an epidural, ask for gas and air as they're putting it in.

dronesdroppingzopiclone · 12/04/2019 14:33

I'd go with the GA in your case.

Original poster

My3boys9910 · 12/04/2019 14:42

Thanks guys...And yeah @kelly14 I'm needle phobic so I'm shaking and crying before the spinal has been done...And then laying there going numb while they pinch you & spray the cold stuff and ask if you can feel it...and im always so unsure which panicks me more that it's in my hands...I cry throughout the whole thing...and where I'm small I'm sure that's why I can feel it...I get that horrible pressure under my rib cage and makes me feel so sick...I'm literally a mess...Was grabbing my partner's beard and sobbing...I'm scared I'm scared...It hurts...I'm going to be sick...So the anesthetists said I think you've had enough and put the gas mask on me which made me like semi out of it for the last part...I dont want to go through all that again but feel like a cop out.Hard enough having no choice to have a baby naturally.

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Falafel19 · 12/04/2019 20:03

Hypnobirthing really helped me feel in control and cope with the sensations during my second emcs.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 12/04/2019 20:18

I was going to be asleep for my 2nd after the events of my 1st. I found the staff were really understanding, especially the consultant anesthetist I saw mid pregnancy to sign off on it. I will add no one told me it was better to be awake, they said that outcomes for the babies were virtually identical and that the risk was to me but that had to be balanced against my mental health.

As it happens, I went into labour early and the on-call doctor managed to hit an emotional nerve and get me to agree to trying a spinal however the consultant put in my notes that I didn't have to decide until they were administering it and if I went spinal and couldn't cope, they would knock me straight out. The anesthetist on the night was fine with that too which gave me a bit more confidence/wriggle room.

I found having my husband there holding me for the spinal made a huge difference. To be honest, I'm not sure they would have got it in without him yanking my shoulders down far harder the midwife was willing to do so as I was panicking so much.

The surgery itself and watching my baby be born was amazing though and with hindsight I'm hugely grateful that the doctor essentially bullied me into trying a spinal.

That said, if we had a 3rd, I think I would still want a GA as at least a possibility because being awake for surgery just seems fundamentally wrong on some level. Could you try hypnobirthing?

Original poster

My3boys9910 · 13/04/2019 08:35

@Dinousaur thanks for sharing...I've always feared going into labour before my Cesarean...do they bring you in right away?Yeah my partner was amazing & they told him to tell them if he thinks I've had enough...he will more likely distinguish pain over panick as he knows me...but he found it all quite distressing (he didn't show it at the time) I've never heard of hypnobirthing but il give that a Google now...I did love to see my sons be born...although my second son had respiratory distress syndrome and was rushed off to special care & I was just laid there helpless being stitched up unable to go with my baby...the panick of that + being open and awake really made my 3rd one all the more scary...

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