Your experience with an epidural vs. spinal for c-section

HeatherRyan

I had an emergency C with my son and had an epidural.  This time I have a scheduled C-section and with be having a spinal.  What are your experiences.  Do they feel different going in...  Do they numb differently... After effects... 

I hated this part last time and I am a bit nervous this time.  Thanks.

XXLAURAF

I had the spinal with my planned c-section...i was numb from my boobs down..wears off pretty fast after the procedure..

i never had an epidural but I know the difference is that the epidural cathether stays in you while the spinal is just one shot and nothing stays in your back

woolgathered

XXLAURAF:

I had the spinal with my planned c-section...i was numb from my boobs down..wears off pretty fast after the procedure..

i never had an epidural but I know the difference is that the epidural cathether stays in you while the spinal is just one shot and nothing stays in your back

Yep. You get a little shot that numbs you, then the spinal, and then a bandaid. I would say mine started to wear off an hour or 2 after they finished. It wasn't bad at all.

amoureux

I had two failed epidurals during labour.  I was given a spinal for the emerg c-section. 

Didn't feel any different to me going in.   I was in love with my spinal as it worked!!    I could wiggle my legs shortly after being wheeled into recovery.

HeatherRyan

Thank you!

m00n_fire@hotmail.com

No matter what make sure it is the anesthesiologist that gives it, not a resident. The resident tried mine 3 times before calling the anesth. in.  It was aweful!!!

daniellefox82@yahoo.com

I had a spinal. It was my first time having any type of anesthesia. The actual needle was no big deal. It worked a bit too well on me however. I was numb from the throat down. I also had a bad reaction to it, which apparently runs in my family. I was vomiting on the operating table within 3 minutes. I don't think that reaction is typical though. Either way, I didn't feel a thing during the c-section, including pressure, and it wore off really quickly after the surgery. 

katie.i.do

i actually had both because my spinal wasn't complete (it went down my left leg more and i was still feeling things on my right side) so I also got a supplementary epidural. The actual procedures weren't different in terms of what I experienced as they were administered, though of course the epi is given by catheter.

The combination of the two worked, and that is all i cared about. 

duchessII81

I had a spinal-epi 'cocktail.' I could feel my legs again in recovery, was mobile in less than 12 hours, and had no pain until the slow-release pain meds in the combo wore off 24 hrs after surgery.

grapeape73

After multiple failed epi attempts they gave me a spinal for my c/s.  It was a simple shot and then numbness.  It was great.  It lasted about 2 hours total. 

The epis I had for my other 2 births lasted much longer and took longer to place than the spinal.  I would prefer a spinal again only because it was so much simpler.