General anaesthetic 1st birth now 2nd pregnancy

[eastview]

Was given a general to have my C section on my first pregnancy for my planned section because spinal wouldn’t work. Wondering if anyone else had this and what was advised for them to do on their 2nd pregnancies? Not particularly wanting a VBAC

It would depend on whether they know why the spinal didn't work. If there's an absolute contraindication to another go at a spinal then another section would be under GA. If it was just bad luck and there was no particularly good reason for it then it may be worth another pop at a spinal, but understanding that it may not work, in which case the back up plan is a GA. There's a moderate amount of witchcraft in obstetric anaesthesia! (doi: obstetric anaesthetist)

They tried for over an hour and just couldn’t get it in. I have had back issues since I was a teenager but never really sought any help for it (stupid I know) and a chiropractor once told me they thought I had slight scoliosis but I took that with a pinch of salt but now wondering if that’s why. Not sure they’ll even look into any of this before deciding yes or no

if you're already pregnant then they're likely not going to do any imaging now. It may be worth another brief go with a low threshold to bail out, but maybe not. Sometimes just slightly different positioning, different set of eyes etc makes enough difference for it to work. The unit you're delivering in should have an anaesthetic clinic that you could be seen in to see if they can say anything more sensible (if they have someone who routinely ultrasounds backs they might be able to find a promising looking window, but there's no guarantee that the person doing it in clinic would be the person looking after you on the day particularly if it was out-of-hours and we don't all ultrasound).

I had my first under GA for similar reasons. Unfortunately, they also managed to upset the nerves to my leg in the process so I did have follow up investigations. Apparently the spacing in my spine is unusual so they were basically going into the wrong place. When I had my second I wanted a VBAC and they advised if I needed a c section it would be classed as an emergency (as my 1st one was) and would be under a GA. If I had chosen a planned section they would have tried a spinal with a guided ultrasound if that was my preference which seemed fair.