Type of anesthesia for a cesarean section
July 23, 2010 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Juliane Theben
I am scheduled for a planned caesarean section (1st child). There are no medical reasons for this, except perhaps my age (40) and the fact that I consider the risks of a caesarean section to be more predictable.
My question is:
My doctor advises against general anesthesia, as according to him, it stresses the baby and the caesarean section must then be done very quickly. He has concerns that I have a fibroid and he is not sure if this could be problematic during the caesarean section.
However, I absolutely do not want a local anesthesia because of the possibility of paralysis, which is very low, but still theoretically possible.
Is it really advisable to avoid general anesthesia in my case and how much will the baby be affected by it?
I am starting to panic at the thought of having to deliver the baby in a "normal" way. Additionally, I am in no way prepared for this.
Thank you very much for your response & greetings.
Dear Inquirer,
I can understand your fear and concern very well, especially so shortly before delivery. I am a gynecologist myself, working in the clinic for 4.5 years and performing 1-3 cesarean sections almost daily.
First of all, I would like to reassure you regarding your concern about paralysis during spinal anesthesia. Of course, the risk is not zero, but I have NEVER experienced or heard from colleagues with over 10 years of experience that paralysis has actually occurred!!!! In rare cases, postoperative headaches may occur, but they are also very treatable. Obstetric anesthesiologists are experts in administering spinal anesthesia.
If you still feel that the risk is too great, general anesthesia will not harm your child's life. The medications you receive and enter your bloodstream are placenta-dependent and therefore also reach the baby's blood, making the child drowsy and tired (translated: it will be as weak and tired as you and may have difficulty breathing deeply in the first few seconds). The cesarean section will then be performed much more quickly to prevent large amounts of medications from entering the baby's circulation.
From a neutral perspective, general anesthesia for cesarean section is actually only intended for emergency cesarean sections or when, for example, there is no possibility to administer spinal anesthesia after previous back surgery. However, it must also be said that in the past, all women gave birth to their children under general anesthesia, and these children all grew up perfectly healthy.
Regarding the fibroid, I cannot say much from a distance as I do not see it on ultrasound, do not know where it is located, how large it is, etc. In our clinic, every woman is seen by a senior physician in a birth planning consultation, and an ultrasound is also performed. This senior physician will then decide, once all the data is available, how the upcoming birth should proceed. I would advise you to make an appointment with the colleagues at the delivering clinic in any case, to weigh the pros and cons of the existing fibroid after an ultrasound examination.
I hope I could help you and wish you all the best for the birth.
Yours sincerely, J. Theben
