Caesareans and anaesthesia

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Anaesthesia

It's usually recommended that a mum-to-be has a spinal anaesthetic or epidural so that she can stay awake during the operation and is able to hold her baby soon afterwards. Some women will be advised to have a general anaesthetic if complications are anticipated, such as if there's a risk of bleeding heavily during the procedure, as can happen with placenta praevia.

A spinal anaesthetic is similar to an epidural but is quicker to insert and provides a short but very effective dose of anaesthesia, by injecting the anaesthetic into your spinal canal and then removing the needle. You feel completely numb from the top of your bump, down.

Positive birth

A Caesarean should be a positive experience, and it's still worth doing a birth plan in the event of this happening. Consider the following:

Take a CD into the operating theatre with you and ask for it to be played.
You can still ask for your baby to be placed straight onto you, skin-to-skin, providing there are no complications.
Let the midwife and doctor know if you want to find out the gender of your baby yourself.
If you want to see your baby being lifted out, ask for the screen to be lowered at that point.

What to take into hospital

Big knickers are a must, as you'll have a wound that runs along the top of your pubic line. You'll bleed after the operation, so don't forget sanitary towels. And be prepared to stay in hospital a bit longer (about four days) which means you'll need extra clothing for you and your baby.

Remember, too, that you've had surgery, so you'll have to take it easy when you go home.

Anne Richley, midwife.