Anesthesia

Your anesthesiologist may recommend a specific type of anesthetic for you. There are two types of anesthetic you could receive. 

Regional anesthesia

If you have regional (spinal) anesthesia you will be awake for your baby’s birth. More than 90% of patients giving birth will have spinal anesthesia.

Medication is injected into the fluid surrounding your spinal cord. This is the most common way to have anesthesia for a C-section and it is the safest method for you and the baby. 

What to expect

1. We will ask you to sit on the side of the bed. 
2. Your lower back will be washed. It may feel cold. 
3. The anesthesiologist will freeze a small area of skin on your lower back. You will feel stinging. 
4. The anesthesiologist will put a thin needle in your lower back and inject the medication into your spinal fluid. This does not usually hurt, but you may feel pressure in your lower back at this time. It is important that you follow your anesthesiologist’s directions during this procedure. 
5. The anesthesiologist will remove the needle from your back. 
6. The medication will freeze you from your nipples to your toes. You will not be able to move your legs.
7. Rarely, the spinal anesthesia does not work well enough. If this happens, we will give you medication to keep you comfortable. Your partner or support person may be asked to leave the room depending on your individual circumstances.

Your partner or support person will be allowed into the operating room after the anesthetic is completed and the surgery team is ready to begin.

The freezing will last about two hours and gradually go away over time. You can breastfeed your baby after having regional anesthesia.

Complications

Regional anesthesia is extremely safe for you and your baby.

• Backache is very common after pregnancies and deliveries. There is no proof that spinal anesthesia or epidurals cause backache by themselves.
• Headaches are the most common problem. They happen in one in 100 cases. 
• There is a very small risk of infection. Your anesthesiologist will recommend treatment if a complication arises.
• Nerve damage is extremely rare.

General anesthesia 

If you have general anesthesia, your anesthesiologist will give you medications that will make you sleep during your surgery.

What to expect

1. You will lie on the operating room table. 
2. The anesthesiologist will give you medication through your IV that will make you go to sleep. They will then put a tube into your throat to provide gases that will keep you asleep and oxygen to help you breathe. 
3. You will wake up after your surgery is done. 
4. Your support person will not be allowed in the operating room or recovery room. They may go with the nursery team to the neonatal intermediate care nursery to visit your baby.