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

Can you def deliver at a MLU if c sex is a risk? Would they do it there or transfer you?

I had EMCS with eldest, contractions were 5 minutes apart so once decision was made it was quick but calm. Spinal block between contractions. It made me incredibly queasy, and same when I had my planned C Sec so if you feel sicky tell them and they can counteract it. But yes, even with a baby who turned out to be critically ill, it was to all appearances smooth and calm.

Hi OP, congratulations on your pregnancy. Definitely a good idea to get all the information that you can 😊
With my first DD she was back to back (no one realised this until I'd been in labour for a good while!). Essentially she wasn't coming out and had got a bit stuck - a doctor came to speak to me and said that my options were to have a ventouse in the room, but if that didn't work they would have to do a c-section or I could choose to go to theatre to have an episiotomy and forceps. I didn't have a clue what to choose so I asked him what he would choose and he said theatre. So I went to theatre and had a spinal block, there was no issue at all getting it in and I still remember the immense feeling of relief as my body numbed after being in labour for 12 hours. I obviously couldn't feel a thing for the episiotomy and forceps. No damage or lasting effects from the forceps 👍
I had DD2 four weeks ago via planned section (due to placenta previa) and getting the spinal block in for that was pretty much exactly the same experience I'd had with DD1 in terms of length of time it took, etc. (except I wasn't completely knackered). The anaesthetists really are brilliant!
Good luck for it all xxx

Anyone that isn't a low risk pregnancy isnt allowed to labour in a isolated birth centre. Some have them 1 floor below so may be allowed (I'm not an obstetrician so can't say fir definite).
Theres a v low threshold to transfer in to LW if concerns

I've had both a planned and emergency section. Both were reasonable calm to be honest, emergency one, they asked us, and we discussed and said yes, was rapid but all very calm, but our baby was dipping slowly over time so they were very keen to get our out.
Non emergency section was because that child under sane circumstances as first position wise and they though it was bear planned as same would likely happen again
Good luck, just take advice and don't plan in your head what will happen because so many possible twists and turns along the way

I had a back to back labour with my first. It was very long and wasn't helped by him being a large baby (9lb 13oz) and me having hip problems that meant I wasn't able to get into positions that might have helped.

I did have to wait a while on the anaesthetist but it was instant relief when he attended and it was earlier than they had warned me it might be. The hospital was very busy and as my baby was stable and so was I, we were bumped for theatre twice and I had two top ups of the epidural/spinal (not sure what the difference is?).

Baby was stuck in the birth canal and took a lot of tugging to be pulled back up but he was perfectly fine aside from a slightly bruised ear.

DS2 was an elective section, also back to back but not quite so big (8lb 3oz) but was 13 months after previous and I was very worried that the scar wouldn't hold during labour. Surgeon confirmed after the surgery that it would have likely ruptured.

To be honest I don't remember too much of the labour other than the relief of the epidural/spinal. I went into hospital in active labour in the early hours of Monday and he wasn't born until the Wednesday 6am.

I was ready for theatre on the Tuesday evening. I remember chatting to the midwives about names (clearly already had the epidural) and they were suggesting Sam as it was 4th July but he ended up not being born until 6am Wednesday.

Elective section was a breeze.

At the end of the day, I ended up with 2 healthy babies so that's the main thing.

I had 2 back to back labours in a MLU attached to a major hospital - first one DD1 was natural birth with gas and air - painful but fine.

DD2 stalled at 5cm after 8 hours of active labour and didn’t progress and then it went quite dramatically wrong very quickly as I had a placental abruption and I went from the MLU with no pain relief to the surgical floor and giving birth under general anaesthetic in less that 10 mins. There was no discussion at all, it was baby has to come out NOW.

It was so fast that my husband missed it as he had gone to move the car as we thought we’d be done and dusted by 8am so had parked on a yellow line. The staff were amazing and we were both fine luckily but I struggled to process what happened when I woke up.

I had been considering a home birth for DD2 but I am so glad I didn’t (as was the community midwife when she did my post natal visit).

Just wanted to say I had a positive forceps experience despite being very scared of them before going into labour.

My son’s head was at a slightly odd angle and the forceps adjusted that and gently guided him out in two pushes (having been pushing for two hours prior to no avail).

I had been terrified of forceps as I had been the result of a failed forceps delivery that ended in a C section and heard all my mum’s horror stories about it.

I mentioned my fears and the reason behind them in my birth plan and the doctors told me they had read it and were really reassuring and promised to be careful and gentle. It all happened in theatre with a spinal block and would have become an EMCS if it hadn’t gone to plan.

After seeing the recovery for other people that had C-sections I’m so glad I ended up with the forceps delivery that I had previously been so scared of. I had an episiotomy that healed with no issues bar a little tenderness around the scar that eventually went away.

Thank you for sharing your positive experiences with me. It has definitely put my mind at ease regarding Forceps. My mindset has changed and I feel better about things as I know they'll only do what they need to, to get the baby here safely. I am glad to hear forceps didn't leave lasting damage. Also reassured now regarding c section. Thank you so much x