Has anyone had a C-Section under GA? - terrified.

[tigerlilt]

Hi, looking for some personal experiences and hopefully reassurance. I’m 30 weeks pregnant with my first and have been told that I need to have a c-section ( I have uterus didelphis and baby is breech ) and have also been told that due to previous spinal surgery, it is likely that spinal anesthetic won’t be appropriate and I’ll need a general anesthetic.
Due to my uterus didelphis it’s highly likely I will go into pre—term labor, but they cannot book me in for an elective c-section until 39 weeks (which my consultant has said I am very very unlikely to get to). So therefore I am likely to need an emergency C-section under GA, whenever I go into labor.
The only advice i’ve been given by doctors and midwives so far is that if I do go into labor, I need to get to hospital very quickly.

Im absolutely terrified- not only am I likely to need an emergency C-section under GA which I’m aware carries its risks, I also have different anatomy, therefore making the surgery more high risk in general.
Also quite concerned about the lack of a plan from my team!

Can anyone offer any advice or support? Thankyou

My two were both born by cs under GA.

One planned, one emergency.

Both were absolutely fine. Had a pain pump via drip that I controlled.

hope all goes well

I had a c section under GA, due to a heart condition. There was some sort of blood pressure reason why other anaesthetics wouldn’t have been appropriate, can’t remember now.

I had originally been booked as an elective, but they brought that forward due to the baby being transverse. I had to spend three nights in hospital before the section, as I needed steroid treatment to mature the baby’s lungs before birth, so this might be something you would also need.

Anyway, it was completely fine in the end. I wasn’t out for long at all and didn’t feel I’d missed out. I can completely understand your worries - my pregnancy was also high risk for several reasons and quite honestly it felt like an endless nightmare in places. But hang on there! Some helpful advice I got was to always have my own plans in place for various scenarios, so that I would know what to do if X or Y happened. Best of luck.

I had an emergency C Section under GA - the worst bit for me was not really seeing my baby for nearly 12 hours as I was so out of it. However I had lost two nights of sleep thinking I was in labour when I wasn't and was exhausted which won't happen to you. Once you have woken up properly it won't be any different from having a CS with epidural.

As an aside, I have an horrific memory of being in a 4 bed post c section ward, still doped up, unable to sleep due to a baby in the next bed crying, and saying "Will someone please shut that baby up". Next morning I realised that I must have said it very loudly and not to myself as I had thought - no wonder the poor new mum and her family wouldn't speak to me and kept the curtain closed between us until she was discharged. Still makes me cringe with embarrassment 30 years later!!

Obs anaesthetist pov….not every ‘emergency’ c-section is a banging & crashing super-speedy emergency….it often just means it needs to happen in the next hour of two rather than next week for example. The GA will be exactly the same whether it’s elective or as an ‘emergency’. If you haven’t seen an anaesthetist in clinic it’s worth asking for that - just occasionally it is possible to do a spinal with metal work in the back…if they dont think that’s a sensible idea they can talk you through the routine for a GA so it knocks a few mins of the process if it does end up being an ‘emergency’, and they can plan for if there are any other possible anaesthetic issues they’d expect.

Given what you’ve said, I would push back on the idea that they cannot do an elective before 39 weeks and try to get in at 37 weeks. Then you’d be more likely to get to the date and not have to go in as an emergency with unknown team etc. I would ask to speak to the consultant and ask why exactly this apparently isn’t an option.

My first was under general anaesthetic, healing wise I was fine emotionally not so much. I came around not long after surgery and was a bit groggy for a couple of hours. I had a pump with pain meds in recovery which helped a lot.

I won’t lie to you though, I was absolutely terrified. I was crying my eyes out when my induction failed and suddenly my room was flooded with all sorts of medics. I cried the whole way to theatre but the midwives and anaesthetist were amazing! I did end up with some post natal depression and spent a good year disappointed in myself that I couldn’t have been there for my child’s first proper moments. It made me feel that our bond wouldn’t be as strong.

Fast forward 15 years, me and my oldest are inseparable! We have a fantastic bond 🥰

I had an emergency c-section with my first under GA due to a bleeding disorder. I found it quite hard emotionally, mostly because both me and my husband missed my daughters birth. Physically my recovery was pretty smooth, and I met baby 1 hour after she was born when we had skin to skin and her first breastfeed. She came straight out to my husband once she was born and he did skin to skin with her which I was really happy about, my first groggy memory waking up was seeing her curled up on his chest which was really lovely!

Two cs under GA. One emcs and one planned. Both fine, I knew no different so nothing to compare to. Apparently more painful due to no residual spinal anaesthesia, but as I say, I knew no different. I breastfed both my kids easily and long term (if that’s important to you). They don’t put you to sleep until the last possible moment, and there will be a paediatrican in the operating theatre.