Cesarean

If you need to have a cesarean birth, you will have epidural, spinal, or general anesthesia.

Epidural/spinal -- If you have epidural or spinal anesthesia, you can be awake during your surgery and you can see your baby right after he/she is born. Spinal anesthesia is similar to epidural anesthesia but no catheter is inserted after the needle is placed in your back. The needle is placed, medication is injected through the needle and then the needle is removed.

Enough medication is given to keep you numb during your surgery and the numbness will wear off within a few hours after surgery. With epidural or spinal anesthesia you will not be able to see your surgery being done or feel any pain, but you may feel some pressure when the baby is born.

If you have epidural or spinal anesthesia, a medication called Morphine can be given through your epidural catheter or through the spinal needle before it is removed. This medication will give you pain relief for up to 24 hours after your cesarean section. If you do not have morphine or if you have general anesthesia for your surgery, your doctor will order pain medication for you after surgery to keep you comfortable.

General -- When general anesthesia is given you are put to sleep by the anesthesiologist and do not wake up until after your baby is delivered and the surgery is over.

Several members of the health care team will be present for your cesarean section. There will be at least two to three obstetricians to perform your surgery, two nurses to assist them and an anesthesiologist. There will also be a pediatric team present to care for your baby. Your husband, partner or support person can usually be present during your surgery to lend support and share in the birth of your child.

Partner's Notes for Cesarean Section

• If you choose to be with your partner during the cesarean section, your nurse will bring you scrub pants, a scrub shirt, a hat, a mask and shoe covers. You will be asked to wait in your partner's room until the anesthesiologist is ready for you to come to the operating room.
• Remember that a cesarean section is abdominal surgery. The surgical area will be draped with sterile drapes. Please do not touch them. The nurse will give you a stool to sit on.
• You can sit right next to your partner during surgery. If she had epidural or spinal anesthesia she will be awake and you can talk to her and offer support. If your partner had general anesthesia you will be asked to leave the operating room after the baby is born.
• If the baby is doing well, you will be able to hold him/her in the operating room. Hold the baby close to your partner if she is awake so she can see and touch the baby.

If you begin to feel dizzy or sick to your stomach during the delivery, let someone know right away. The nurse may have you sit on the floor or take you out of the room for some fresh air or a drink of water.