If you had an emergency/last minute C Section

[Fluffysockswizzard]

Hi there

Sorry if these questions sound silly

If you had an emergency/last minute C-Section, what was your experience like?

If you had gone into labour and had nothing but Gas and Air/Pethadine, and then they decided you needed a Section.. was it a long wait to get the spinal block?

I'm just wondering because if something goes wrong last minute, I can imagine it being quite traumatic being in all that pain and then going into theatre waiting to be numbed whilst also being dilated/feeling an urge to push? How did you deal with that? Or is it quite a quick process?

I was told at my appt yesterday that the baby is back to back. Though I have read lots on here about how it was painful but successful vaginal delivery, there have been loads that have ended in c section due to baby getting stuck/failure to progress. I plan on giving birth at MLU/open to all pain relief options.. however I am really not wanting a forceps delivery (I may be ill informed) but I have read a lot about permanent damage from it - not saying a C section is any easier at all, but they were saying if it happened again they'd opt for C section vs Forceps

If that ends up being me, and they suggest a c section - I just want to be prepared as much as I can by knowing what to expect

My first was a back to back labour - the majority
of my pain was in my back but it was very straightforward in the end! No intervention.

My second, I was induced which ended in a cat 2 em sec after 4 days of induction. At the point they decided on section I was on the pitocin drip contracting, so they just switched off the drip at around 5am and the pain stopped (amazing) and they let me get a couple of hours sleep until there was space in the theatre, he was born at 7:30am. I was so scared of having a section (people kept saying to me induction ends in section often) but in the end it was absolutely fine. I think the staff knew it would end this way so they prepped me for surgery not long after going on pitocin so they could take me straight in with no faff/rush. It was all quite chill and everyone was chatting and laughing. I imagine an elective would be even calmer.

Best of luck OP! You’ll be absolutely fine and meet your little baby soon.

I believe if it’s a true emergency then it’ll be a general anaesthetic and you’ll be knocked out so they can do it quickly. But many csections get labelled an emergency as they weren’t a planned one. But there’s usually plenty of time to get spinal blocks in and they do it between contractions

I was induced for pre-eclampsia at 36 weeks, got to 10cm dilated and then DD was found to be getting oxygen deprived so emergency C-section.
I'd already had a spinal block as she was back to back but as it was an emergency I got given a general and knocked out.

I didn't have gas and air as wanted as clear a head as possible as everything was going wrong - once they decided on a c-section, it was about 15 minutes. Having the spinal with contractions was pretty difficult but once it was in there was no pain at all.

I had a cat 1 emergency c-section which means they aim to get the baby out within 30 minutes (I think) of the decision. Decision was made at 1:30 and baby born at 1:53. There was just about time to get a spinal in. Not sure how I stayed still, probably pure terror of ending up with a spinal cord injury. The main difference between that and my elective is they only checked once if I was numb, with my elective they asked if I was sure loads of times. Also my scar is bigger than my elective because they wanted to get him out quickly, not try and carefully ease him out of an incision barely bigger than his head.

Also, I don't know if it helps but I delivered my Dc2 vaginally without any problems and he was back to back. It was more painful than my non back to back babies but less painful than induction.

I wanted a natural birth but my water broke without going into labour so I was induced. We were back to back and contractions were painful. Gas made me vomit. After several hours I wanted an epidural which took an hour to wait for and was not easy to do between the contractions. Baby's heart rate started to drop so I was strongly recommended to get an emergency cesarean. I remember that part so clearly - I asked how long we would have to wait, and the consultant said it was going to happen right now. I guess because I'd already had the epidural it was quick? Anyway it was super quick from that point on, the epidural meant I wasn't in pain anymore so I was just happy and relieved, and baby was out 45 mins later.

@elliejjtiny sorry if this sounds a ridiculous Q, but do they not cut along the same scar for the next C-section? 🙈 I'm preg with no.2
and assumed they would use the same line that's already there

I was in active labour for 13 hours, was on gas & air & pethadine but couldn't dilate past 4cm in the end the surgeon came in and said I needed a c section. Within 15 mins I was in theatre and was just so relieved the ending was in sight. I think it was about 30-45 mins from start to finish. And to be honest I loved every minute and wouldn't change anything.

@KMM87 yes they did cut along the same scar but the surgeon came to see me afterwards to check me and ds were ok after his sudden arrival. That's when he told me that he was sorry but my scar on the outside was longer than it was before and the scar on my womb was J shaped because he accidentally ripped my womb in his haste to get ds out. To be honest I probably wouldn't have noticed my scar was longer if he hadn't told me. I know from talking to other people that my scar is quite a bit longer than average though. It didn't make any difference to the pain/recovery though.

You're not silly at all for asking. Good for you for wanting to be informed.

The rapidity of which someone is brought to theatre depends upon the category of the emergency. As a PP stated, a category 1 (immediate threat to maternal and/or fetal life) we aim to get baby out within 30 minutes. A category 2 (maternal/fetal compromise that isn't immediately life threatening) is within 75 minutes.

We aim to get the spinal in ASAP from you coming into theatre. We have gas+air available, to help tide you over while we do all our checks and while the anaesthetist is getting ready. Usually it's 10-15 minutes after coming into theatre. And you rapidly feel relief. If you have an epidural (I had one) it's topped up and things start to get numb rapidly. Obviously in some cat 1 cases, if things aren't improving (CTG monitoring is still in place so we can keep a constant eye on baby), then we will use general anaesthesia to get baby out.

In the case of a cat. 2, we try to get you in as soon as we can still. You will obviously have access to all pain relief options in your room that you'd had.

If you're feeling an urge to push, then it's likely you're fully dilated, and tbh forceps will be recommended. Full dilation C-sections have a tendency to be a bit bloody, and the uterus regularly has trouble contracting as well. But it is absolutely your right to choose a C-section if that's what you wish.

My own C-section was quite good. I was 5cm, and I'd just gotten an epidural a couple of hours before the C-section was decided on. So I was pain free already. The drip was turned off, and my contractions died away, giving DC2 a rest. I was constantly monitored to make sure he wasn't becoming further distressed. It was over an hour later before I went to theatre, so it was a bit boring waiting.

Thank you all for your replies!! That really puts my mind at ease and I feel I am more clear on what to expect now in case things go differently for me. Especially having back to back labour and hearing it all went well even though it was more painful. That's what I really hope will happen with me but it's okay if it doesn't

@Dyra thank you for explaining this to me in detail! That helps a lot and you also answered a question I had in my mind regarding being fully dilated and then choosing C section over Forceps at that stage. I think I will do some more research on Forceps delivery as I don't want to make a decision (based on my fear) rather than what's better at the time

I have had at least two back to back labours (out of 4), and the only recommendation I can give is to - try and not end up lying down during delivery, it is best to be on all fours or on a birthing ball. I had to be strapped and monitored in bed twice, and it was so much more painful but I wish I had insisted on moving.

My daughter had an emergency c section due to failure to make progress. Once the decision was made, it was very quick. I was a bit concerned that the surgeon looked exhausted, but he was absolutely wonderful.
I was given scrubs so I could go in with her and by the time I'd got them on, she was in theatre.
She already had epidural in, so they topped it up and popped the baby out!

@Dyra that is really interesting. I had a c-section after pushing for 2 hours and nothing happening. I ended up having a spinal block (which was amazing after only having gas and air for the previous 64 hours) but it took them a couple of attempts at getting it right as I kept on having contractions constantly and the urge to push.

I remember the surgeon examining me to see if they could use forceps and the answer was that there was no way this baby was coming out of me except through the top.

@moonlight1705 Yeah, sometimes it's unavoidable. Do you happen to remember if they said anything about an anterior lip? Or perhaps baby was an unusual position that they couldn't manually rotate them out of?

This was nearly 30 years ago so procedures may have changed!!
Baby 1: went into natural labour but baby was at an angle and got his head stuck in my pelvis. If he's been a more normal size instead of 10lbs 5.5oz he might have come out but after 48 hours of labour and 6 of active pushing we weren't progressing. They tried forceps but fortunately not for long before consultant decided it was pointless! Had had an epidural earlier but by this time it wasn't working, even with a top up and i was exhausted so they knocked me out.
Baby2: full labour, very quick, was pushing (very well apparently) but his shoulders got stuck in my pelvis so he had to be shoved back up the birth canal and born by CS. Big baby too 10lbs 6oz and still has huge shoulders at 25 yrs
Baby 3: went to 40 weeks, no labour or even twinges then compulsory/Planned CS with epidural administered by the most gentle person I have ever encountered! Baby 10lb 7oz with v short cord attached v high up so would never have been born naturally without one or both of us bleeding to death.

Baby 1 was very unsettled and we took him for cranial osteopathy - it worked for him - but they said it was a very good job that forceps were abandoned as they saw so many skull injuries from forceps deliveries. Might be load of rubbish but worth bearing in mind.

Mine were both emergency caesareans, but not the most critical level. I wandered down the corridor to pop to the toilet before walking to theatre.

Second time was more rushed, but it became apparent during the surgery that it was the end of a shift and everyone was heading off home once finished. Which explains why they pressured me into consenting so quickly. 🤬

They can do it very quickly if it's an absolute emergency. They did for me when DD was born. I had a general anaesthetic. 15 minutes from the first sign of trouble and delivery, it was quite remarkable.

I had an emcs but already had an epidural so I wasn't given ga. I was raced to theatre.

I was so spaced out and happy on the morphine plus I had an epidural so couldn't really feel much that I don't find it traumatic at all.

The recovery was awful but the emergency section was fine.

DC1 was back to back and I had a cat 1 EMCS (due to placental abruption, not due to being back to back). They were going to do GA, there was 14 minutes between the call being made to take me to theatre and DC1 delivered. Once they got me into theatre baby's heart rate had come up enough they did spinal not GA. They said it may be a bit more uncomfortable as they didn't have time for the niceties however I didn't feel pain, just the horrendous back to back contractions stopping. Despite being emergency I was told my scar was pretty neat for the circumstances.

DC2 came via elective to avoid another abruption in labour. They cut my old scar out and gave me a very neat little one instead!

Plenty of emergency sections don't require general anaesthetic and are still 'genuine' and not 'labelled' emergencies 😳

Little bit of experience with both:

I was born by emergency section after undiagnosed breech presentation (so this isn't exactly recent!) and my mother was given general anaesthetic. She found it quite traumatic but recovered well and neither of us had any lasting trouble

I was carrying my son back to back (undiagnosed until established labour) and delivered him at home with no pain relief- we think he rotated just before he was born but it's hard to be sure because he made his arrival when the midwives had nipped out on a break as he "clearly wasn't coming yet!"

My recommendation would be listen to your body - I had a strong yearning to lie or lean on one side and the midwives felt that was an instinct trying to get him into an optimal position. It did really hurt but it was by no means unbearable

@BitofaStramash there are different categories to an emergency c section. All unplanned c sections are classed as emergencies but there are different levels. By true emergency I mean as in a risk to life of mother and baby, which most emergency c sections are not.

https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/amp/article/emergency-caesarean

heres a link that explains it further for you, really no need to try to twist words

My first was attempted induction -> foetal distress -> section. They put in the spinal, it only partially worked but contractions eased off enough that the signs of distress reduced so they said they had time to do an epidural. That was great as it meant they could top it up at the end of the procedure and I don't think I needed any additional pain relief for about 48 hours!
2nd also attempted induction. I'd been advised to get an epidural in prior to starting but I forgot to ask about it on the day. Massive drop in foetal HR led to a cat 1 section under general. Absolutely fine but I certainly needed painkillers the first couple of days.

Both were 42+/40 and might have coped better with an earlier induction, I get the impression that inductions for post-dates are often sooner now than they were 20 years ago.