unplanned v. emergency

RayRay007

I'm going to open a can of worms and ask, does the distinction matter to you?

I never went in to labour, went for a post-dates NST and BPP and the nurses freaked out and were like "OMG YOUR BABY IS DYING!!" and literally ran me down the hall to the OR, pulling staff off another case in another OR, leaving another poor lady to lay there waiting. They were going to knock me out with GA but we were able to buy some time and I got a spinal instead. Anyway, we both came out of it fine. But in my mind, that is an emergency. But when I tell people I had an emergency c/s, they don't understand the gravity of it, because a lot of people use "unplanned" and "emergency" interchangeably.

I know there is a broad spectrum of circumstances, but I would say most are "unplanned" rather than true emergencies.

I'm not judging or trying to diminish the importance of anyone's c/s. I'm just asking, does it matter to you what c/s's are referred to as?

everam01

Mine was a scheduled C that became unplanned a week and 1/2 earlier than anticipated. Even though I went to L&D and they decided to go ahead and do it, there was plenty of time to let me wait until my last meal was out of my system, give me a pep talk, call my family and get my spinal.

To me, an emergency C is a scary, scary situation. It means there is barely time to get a spinal or someone has to be put under GA. So, it wouldn't be correct of me to claim I had an emergency C and therefore I never use the term. 

kcvasquez

OMG!! This drives me nuts and I really can't stand it when people say "it was an emergency, they wheeled me down because baby was in distress and a half hour later baby was born." No, that is not an emergency. And emergency c-section is life or death for the baby or mom, they will literally cut you open in the room if they have to. My MIL is an OB nurse and she says actual emergency sections are rare, but do happen. 

Unplanned is what I would say the majority of c-sections are, and especially what many women on this board have had. If you or your baby weren't going to die or have serious complications without a c-section then sorry but it's not an emergency. It's the same pet-peeve I have when people use the emergency room for things such as a toothache, not an emergency. 

BUmama

Mine was in between the two. I had already had an epidural, so it was a simple med change for the spinal but DD1 was absolutely not tolerating labor with pitocin and the cord was wrapped around her neck twice and tight. Once my OB came in and said, "Let's just be done" everything moved pretty fast. I mean, within 20 minutes my DH was holding a baby and I was puking from the anesthesia!

RayRay007

kcvasquez:

OMG!! This drives me nuts and I really can't stand it when people say "it was an emergency, they wheeled me down because baby was in distress and a half hour later baby was born." No, that is not an emergency. And emergency c-section is life or death for the baby or mom, they will literally cut you open in the room if they have to. My MIL is an OB nurse and she says actual emergency sections are rare, but do happen. 

Unplanned is what I would say the majority of c-sections are, and especially what many women on this board have had. If you or your baby weren't going to die or have serious complications without a c-section then sorry but it's not an emergency. It's the same pet-peeve I have when people use the emergency room for things such as a toothache, not an emergency. 

LOL. My mom is an ER nurse and she has distilled in me her loathe for non-emergencies in the ER.

kcvasquez

RayRay007:

kcvasquez:

OMG!! This drives me nuts and I really can't stand it when people say "it was an emergency, they wheeled me down because baby was in distress and a half hour later baby was born." No, that is not an emergency. And emergency c-section is life or death for the baby or mom, they will literally cut you open in the room if they have to. My MIL is an OB nurse and she says actual emergency sections are rare, but do happen. 

Unplanned is what I would say the majority of c-sections are, and especially what many women on this board have had. If you or your baby weren't going to die or have serious complications without a c-section then sorry but it's not an emergency. It's the same pet-peeve I have when people use the emergency room for things such as a toothache, not an emergency. 

LOL. My mom is an ER nurse and she has distilled in me her loathe for non-emergencies in the ER.

hahaha! You have a great mom! I worked in an E.R too, and it's unbelievable to me the things people use it for! I kid you not people get so mad that they've been waiting there for 5 hours with back pain and someone walks in with chest pain, high BP and arm tingling and gets walked straight back. Hello! Signs of a heart attack (life or death) go back before your back pain you've had for 5 days in which you could have made an appointment!! Drives me nuts! I can only imagine how your mom feels! 

disneyfan0511

Only because I'm curious - unplanned meaning, started an induction/labor was taking too long and had a c/s? I tend to believe OB's are pushy when it comes to c/s and patience.

I've actually been wanting my medical records for this reason - I need to know if my situation was a true emergency like they told me, or if I was just another c/s for this particular hospital (which has very high c/s rates).

satama

Mine was emergency, and was super scary. I did have an epi, but it was causing problems and not working so the doctor literally ripped it out of my back as they were wheeling me down the hall and they put me under GA. The emergency section was due to an abruption that they discovered when I was a few minutes from starting to push and the OB went to check me one more time.

Poor DH was left in the L&D room by himself and no one even told him what was going on right away. He said there was stuff dripping on the floor from where they unhooked my IV bag I guess and they room was a wreck from the rush to get me out.

I just don't think people really think of how a real emergency section goes down when they use that word to describe one that was really unplanned.

kcvasquez

satama:

Mine was emergency, and was super scary. I did have an epi, but it was causing problems and not working so the doctor literally ripped it out of my back as they were wheeling me down the hall and they put me under GA. The emergency section was due to an abruption that they discovered when I was a few minutes from starting to push and the OB went to check me one more time.

Poor DH was left in the L&D room by himself and no one even told him what was going on right away. He said there was stuff dripping on the floor from where they unhooked my IV bag I guess and they room was a wreck from the rush to get me out.

I just don't think people really think of how a real emergency section goes down when they use that word to describe one that was really unplanned.

Yes! This is an emergency and this is how they go! There's hardly anytime to plan including your DH, they pretty much push them out of the way and don't care about anything other than you and baby! So sorry you had to go through and emergency c-section though, I can only imagine how scary that would be. Glad you an LO were okay! 

RayRay007

MISnJER80:

Only because I'm curious - unplanned meaning, started an induction/labor was taking too long and had a c/s? I tend to believe OB's are pushy when it comes to c/s and patience.

I've actually been wanting my medical records for this reason - I need to know if my situation was a true emergency like they told me, or if I was just another c/s for this particular hospital (which has very high c/s rates).

Ya, that's generally what I mean by unplanned. Maybe your water broke and never went in to labour, maybe you were in labour but you weren't progressing, maybe you were pushing but it wasn't happening. The type of situation were you have time to discuss it, make a decision to go ahead with a c/s, get prepped, etc. In an emergency there is no time for this.

RayRay007

kcvasquez:

satama:

Mine was emergency, and was super scary. I did have an epi, but it was causing problems and not working so the doctor literally ripped it out of my back as they were wheeling me down the hall and they put me under GA. The emergency section was due to an abruption that they discovered when I was a few minutes from starting to push and the OB went to check me one more time.

Poor DH was left in the L&D room by himself and no one even told him what was going on right away. He said there was stuff dripping on the floor from where they unhooked my IV bag I guess and they room was a wreck from the rush to get me out.

I just don't think people really think of how a real emergency section goes down when they use that word to describe one that was really unplanned.

Yes! This is an emergency and this is how they go! There's hardly anytime to plan including your DH, they pretty much push them out of the way and don't care about anything other than you and baby! So sorry you had to go through and emergency c-section though, I can only imagine how scary that would be. Glad you an LO were okay! 

That sounds crazy. My DH wasn't there for mine either. He didn't come to this 'routine appointment', they called him right away, and couldn't wait 5 minutes for him to get there.

disneyfan0511

RayRay007:

MISnJER80:

Only because I'm curious - unplanned meaning, started an induction/labor was taking too long and had a c/s? I tend to believe OB's are pushy when it comes to c/s and patience.

I've actually been wanting my medical records for this reason - I need to know if my situation was a true emergency like they told me, or if I was just another c/s for this particular hospital (which has very high c/s rates).

Ya, that's generally what I mean by unplanned. Maybe your water broke and never went in to labour, maybe you were in labour but you weren't progressing, maybe you were pushing but it wasn't happening. The type of situation were you have time to discuss it, make a decision to go ahead with a c/s, get prepped, etc. In an emergency there is no time for this.

Got it. I'm still on the fence with my (if it was unplanned or true emegerency) - it wasn't as intense as a situation listed above, although my DD ended up w/an infection because my water was broken for too long, so it's a hard call. I didn't have a say in whether I had a c/s, they just were like, we're off ot the OR and away we went (I spiked an incredibly high fever and my heart rate was well over 150). BUT DH was able to be in the OR room with me.

ChiTown Bridget

I would call mine unplanned rather than "emergency" even though I had no choice and had to deliver via c/s at 38w0d due to Pre-E.

ashley0616

They never told me my first c/s was an emergency, but when it was 8:58pm when they wheeled me into surgery and 9:06pm when I heard her cry, I kind of had a feeling they were panicking a little. (I had a failed induction and after 12 hours of labor and no progress DD was having a lot of decels and my BP was skyrocketing.) I always tell people it was "rushed," not "emergency." I think there is a distinction between a real life and death emergency and a c/s after "regular" failure to progress. Does that make sense? 

In the end, I don't really think it matters what you call it. Either way it was a c/s, a surgery, etc.  

LadyExtravaganza

RayRay007:

MISnJER80:

Only because I'm curious - unplanned meaning, started an induction/labor was taking too long and had a c/s? I tend to believe OB's are pushy when it comes to c/s and patience.

I've actually been wanting my medical records for this reason - I need to know if my situation was a true emergency like they told me, or if I was just another c/s for this particular hospital (which has very high c/s rates).

Ya, that's generally what I mean by unplanned. Maybe your water broke and never went in to labour, maybe you were in labour but you weren't progressing, maybe you were pushing but it wasn't happening. The type of situation were you have time to discuss it, make a decision to go ahead with a c/s, get prepped, etc. In an emergency there is no time for this.

I was in labor for 18 hours and pushing for two. All of a sudden, some machine started beeping like crazy because I had spike a fever and DS's heartrate had dipped dangerously low (although I was never told how low). From the moment that happened to the moment DS was out was 7 minutes (3 to get us in to the OR, 4 until he was out). My OB referred to it as an emergency c/s.

But, I was in labor and the OR was already prepped because my OB had been discussing a c/s anyway due to failure to progress. So I don't know if it was a true emergency or if the "emergency" of it was exaggerated since they were ready for a c/s anyway, KWIM?

capulet

My c/s was due to fetal distress.  I was induced with cervical gel because I was 41+ weeks, was supposed to get pitocin the next morning but went into labor from the gel, and had a couple of rough hours of early labor in triage.  When I was dilated enough to be admitted to L&D, everything went haywire almost immediately.  DD's heartrate was erratic, I was given oxygen but I kept trying to take the mask off because I didn't feel like it was doing anything, and the OB told me I needed a c/s - I had time to sign the consent form and then they wheeled me into the OR and told DH to stay in L&D and await further instructions.  He didn't know if I would have a spinal or GA.  As it turned out DD's heartrate stabilized enough that they were able to do the spinal and DH was with me for the surgery.  I don't know how much time elapsed from when I was admitted to L&D to when DD was born - I think it was no more than an hour but it's really all a blur.  I tend to use the terms unplanned and emergency interchangeably to describe my c/s, although sometimes I think that it wasn't really an emergency because I didn't have GA.  But the distinction doesn't really matter to me.

disbride061103

I say that my 1st c/s was technically planned. DS1 turned breech 5 days before my edd and i had a c/s 2 days later.  My 2nd c/s was unplanned after an unsuccessful VBAC attempt/induction.  DS was having decels off and on for several hours and I had stopped progressing.  My doctors made a last ditch attempt to correct the decels by doing an amnio-infusion.  It helped but not enough and I had been at 7 cm for 8 hours.  We decided on the c/s and then had to wait as they finished another c/s and prepped the OR.  I know it wasn't an emergency because they had another OR prepped and unless absolutely necessary, they only do emergency c/s in that OR.

magdalina.h

Mine was an emergency because the cord stopped providing nutrients and it was wrapped twice at 28w4d. I was told to make calls because he'd be born within the hour

I agree that an unplanned c/s due to a failed labor does not equal an emergency c/s.

ETA: they had to perform CPR on Aidan because he wasn't breathing on his own and if they had waited any longer he wouldn't have lived the 8 days that he did

goldenleaves

This is an interesting post! I think the words are often incorrectly used interchangablyl.

My c/s was an emergency. They rushed me down the hallways screaming "Get out of the way! This is an emergency!"

It suuuucked.

shibby00

My c/s was definitely not an emergency.  I had labored for 18 hours and pushed for just under 4 when they (finally) decided that DD just wasn't coming out that way.  My BFF had an emergency c/s, they broke her water and LO's heart rate dropped crazy low and didn't come back up.  They literally ran her bed down the hall, knocked her out with GA and had him out in some crazy short time like 5 mins.  That was an emergency.  Mine was merely unplanned.  The terms are NOT interchangeable!

shouldbworkin

Yes, I definitely think they're different.  Emergency = mom or baby's life is in danger.  Unplanned = something else lead to c/s

My c/s was definitley unplanned and not an emergency.

pepomntpat

So where does the distinction lie? DD was in distress, she had to have a c/s or it would have gotten worse if I had waited. They were rushed, but I did sign consent, had a spinal and DH was with me. They told me it was emergent and would become more emergent if I didn't stop crying and get on with it.

It was scary to me. I don't see the big deal though. This is just semantics like natural birth vs med free birth. Just something to waste our time arguing about.

sytom

I had an unplanned c-section.  LO and I were fine, but labor wasn't progressing and the doctors and I decided that we should go that way.  I was laughing in the elevator and having fun thinking about meeting my LO in a few minutes.  I definitely think that my c-section doesn't count as an emergency.   I understand why you're sensitive about it,  I guess I am too, but for opposite reasons! 

The emergency came after for me...  When LO wasn't able to breathe on his own.  That's an emergency!

iris427

I had an unplanned c/s and it annoys me a little if people call it an emergency c/s.  It wasn't an emergency.  My baby was never in distress and I was not in any imminent danger.  

laurasuzanne2006

i like t his post.  I think a lot of people tend to refer to their c-sections as emergencies in reality they were unplanned.  We tried an induction as i had severe pre-E.  After 22 hours i hadn't had any progress whatsoever, and my labs were getting worse very quickly.  My platelets were dropping and we didn't want to wait and risk further bleeding issues, ontop of the increasing LFTs, and creat.  Doc came and talked about the surgery and didn't leave the room without me, went straight to OR. Although my health was quickly going downhill i don't consider it an emergency as baby was doing well, and i wasn't going to die within the next hour if we didn't do it.  I feel in an emergency you have minutes, not hours

+diana82+

Mine were both unplanned. In fact, my second was referred to in my d/c papers as "elective" even though I didn't have much of a choice - for my second I was attempting a vbac but I never went into labor after my water broke and the hospital wouldn't induce. So a c/s was my only option.

My first was due to a failed induction - I had cervadil and a ton of pitocin and never dilated or went into labor so again, a c/s it was. Neither situation was at all emergent, other than with DD I was ruptured so the clock was ticking.

RayRay007

pepomntpat:

So where does the distinction lie? DD was in distress, she had to have a c/s or it would have gotten worse if I had waited. They were rushed, but I did sign consent, had a spinal and DH was with me. They told me it was emergent and would become more emergent if I didn't stop crying and get on with it.

It was scary to me. I don't see the big deal though. This is just semantics like natural birth vs med free birth. Just something to waste our time arguing about.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not arguing. Just discussing. Like I said, I am not trying to diminish the importance of anyone's c/s. I'm not trying to suggest "unplanned" c's aren't necessary.

shaindelr

I'm trying to figure out if mine was "in between." I've been saying "emergency" because that's what I thought, but now I'm not sure.

I had an epi in already because my hospital gives you an epi for an ECV, but as soon as they flipped my LO, the cord went around his neck, and the doctors started yelling for everyone to scrub for surgery.

A nurse said, "Has anyone told her what's going on?" Then she said, "You're having your baby now" and put an oxygen mask on me. He was out four minutes later. I know someone said, "Don't let her see him yet" because he was pretty blue, and they didn't want to further freak me out, so I didn't see him until they'd given him a little oxygen...

It definitely felt like an emergency to me, though.

ETA: Okay, not to sound like an idiot, but after reading these posts, I'm guessing mine was an emergency.

JosiePosy

I consider mine an emergency because I had rapidly progressing HELLP at 29 weeks while I was on bedrest. My second set of labs came back worse that day and I had about 5 minutes to sign some paperwork and text DH and my sis to let them know I was going up for surgery (my parents were out of the country on a scheduled trip). He hauled ass to the hospital while I was getting prepped and my spinal and he made it in the room just seconds before they started.

Mrs. Alice

Yes this bothers me too when everyone claims to have had an emergency c/s.  I was an OB nurse and an emergent c/s is one in which you described as being run down the hall into the OR to get baby out ASAP, life or death situation.  This is also called a crash c/s.  I think there is also some in between.  For instance on my records it is indicated as "urgent c/s".  I went in for my morning u/s and was told based on the findings that they needed be delivered today, but since I had ate breakfast we had to wait 6 hours.  It was a crazy day in L&D and I am sure that I "bumped" a few others to get mine done.  In L&D they have what's called a 30 minute "decision to incision", meaning once it's called the staff have that amount of time to get you in the OR and the baby out.

Mrs_MBed

I usually say unplanned, just b/c neither DD1 or I were in distress/trouble, so to me it wasn't an emergency c/s.  For me, to say emergency c/s would indicate what you described and that wasn't even remotely close to what happened with me.  I was watching tv in my L&D room for about 45 mins before I was even rolled into the OR (I'd already had an epi/IVs in place as I was already in labor).   

It does not bother me when other people use them interchangeably, I just don't when describing mine.  

Mrs_MBed

RayRay007:

kcvasquez:

OMG!! This drives me nuts and I really can't stand it when people say "it was an emergency, they wheeled me down because baby was in distress and a half hour later baby was born." No, that is not an emergency. And emergency c-section is life or death for the baby or mom, they will literally cut you open in the room if they have to. My MIL is an OB nurse and she says actual emergency sections are rare, but do happen. 

Unplanned is what I would say the majority of c-sections are, and especially what many women on this board have had. If you or your baby weren't going to die or have serious complications without a c-section then sorry but it's not an emergency. It's the same pet-peeve I have when people use the emergency room for things such as a toothache, not an emergency. 

LOL. My mom is an ER nurse and she has distilled in me her loathe for non-emergencies in the ER.

DH was a paramedic for 10+ yrs and I've heard too many stories of people calling 9-1-1 just b/c they think it will get them seen in the ER faster... He had no problem parking those idiots in the waiting room with everyone else.  

More people need to go to Urgent Cares - that's what they are there for!

isacdimi10

My OB uses "emergency" to describe anything not scheduled.

But DD was an emergency and DS was an unplanned.

With DD they let me labor for 16 hours and her heart was dropping a lot in the last 2 hours. Also she was trying to descend through a 4cm  dilated cervix. My cervix was about to tear and a couple more contractions and her heart would have stopped.

DS broke my water a day before his scheduled c-section but because I refused any intervention to make me dilate I never contracted or dilated on my own. So two hours later I went back for a c-section.  

byrne15

i agree with you...

there is a difference.  I pushed for 1.5 hours, they lost the HB for a little bit, did an episiotomy, tried forceps and failed.  Baby's heartrate was dropping and then dissappearing.  They put me in the OR, pulled the other woman out and next thing I knew, I woke up in a lot of pain and my baby was 2 hours old.  It was an emergency csection...not just unplanned.

ETA:  from the time the DR. yelled "c-section" in my labor room to the time ds was born was 11 minutes

matzke227

They are for sure different meanings...an unplanned is when you are going to the doctor and they tell you that you are not moving forward and the last option is a c-section. An emergency is just that..an emergency! I also had an emergency c-section..my LOs heartbeat went from 138 to 42 and he had the cord around his neck 3 times. I was 8 centimeters so I was progressing, but my LO wouldnt have made it if I didnt have a c-section.

jjilly7

the staff used the term emergency with me, tho it took 2 days to do it...i had HELLP syndrome, they could not deliver baby until he received steroid shots, and until they got my levels under control, or else i would have died. I had GA cause if i had an epi or spinal, i would have died. So, even though it wasn't a run down the hall type of c section, i would say that mine was closer to being an emergency. The baby wasn't in distress, I was. 

akayf

My c-section is kinda in between unplanned and emergency.   We had a c-section discussion when I was stalled at around 6-7 cm.   I had a fever and he was still very high.   The dr warned me that we might be heading towards a c-section.   I finally started progressing but decels started showing up.   They gave me O2 and I did get to 10.   As I started to push, the dr told the nurse to tell them to have an OR ready just in case.   With every push, his HR dropped lower and lower.   After 20 minutes, she told me she no longer felt comfortable letting me try to push him out.   DH and I both agreed.   The nurse threw scrubs at DH(she had them in the room already) and a consent form was thrown at me.   As soon as I signed, the bed was rolling down the hall.   They were giving me meds through my epidural as they ran my bed down the hall.   I was moved to the table the second the bed stopped rolling.   I remember my dr yelling to the nurse that she wasn't going to start until the pedi was in the room.   As soon as she said that, DH took my hand and then the dr poked my belly once and then said it was starting.    

DS was born not breathing and had to go to special care.   Most of his cord was stuck in between his head and neck/shoulder and was getting pinched as he descended down the birth canal.  Then as I pushed, it was getting compressed even  more. 

  So I guess it was an unplanned that turned into an emergency?    We had discussed c-section earlier because it looked like I was failing to progress, before there were signs of fetal distress.   And they did have the OR ready, just in case.  But my dr knew that I really wanted a vaginal delivery like I had had with my first.   And the look of worry in her eyes after that last push and his HR took a very long time to come back up....they makes me lean towards me thinking that it had developed into a true emergency.

iristony

I had a real emergency one too.  I was knocked out with anesthesia and woke up and had no idea baby was born.  Neither my husband or I witnessed the birth of my son!

When they decided they needed to wheel me into the OR for a csection a few hours after coming in for PTL and seeing I was already 8 cm dialated, they rolled me over to give me epidural and my water broke and cord dropped.  The next thing I knew they were sticking an anesthesia mask on my face. I was later told they only had a minute or two to get my son out before he would have lost air and blood. 

apokatie

I think that my c-section would be considered an emergency. DD's moving slowed way down on Saturday evening. I tried to do a kick count on Sunday morning after drinking some orange juice and she did not move at all. 0. Zilch. Called the OB's office and was told to go to the hospital. Got to the hospital, registered at the ER and went straight to L&D. This was at about 11am. They hooked me up to the monitors, gave me some apple juice with sugar in it (it was so gross and sickeningly sweet I almost barfed), and we waited. And waited and waited. DD's heart rate didn't change at all. They gave me an IV, hooked up some pitocin and we waited some more. No contractions. After four hours on the pitocin, DD's heart rate dropped. 145, 130, 110, 90, 65, 120, 140. I was scared. Very scared. My OB came in and said "You are having a baby right now. Call your family. You have 30 minutes." I didn't even get a chance to call my family before the anisteologist came in to do my spinal. They wheeled me to the OR 5 minutes after, spinal didn't work fast enough and put me under GA. DD was born 10 minutes later. Her cord was 6-8in longer then is should have been and was all tangled up in her lower body. She took one breath and had to be intubated. From the time the OB came in and said time for a baby to the time she was born was 17 minutes. When I spoke with my OB the next morning (Monday), he told me that if I had waited until Monday, she wouldn't be here.

 I'm not happy about the c-section, but I'm so very glad that my Munchkin is strong and healthy dispite being 6 weeks early and a tiny 3lb 13.5oz and 16.5in long when she was born. She is now a whooping 19lb 10oz and almost 27in long at 11 months. 

JennV514

My baby had the cord wrapped around his neck 3 times, and flatlined twice. My husband was in the hallway at 6:40 am texting family it would be an hour until I push, when I was wheeled out of my room and the whole floor cleared. Evan was born at 6:42 am. My c-section was most definitely an emergency.

RadicalDreamer143

With my son, I was classified as "failure to progress" - I never got past 4cm.  I had the whole pitocin/epi thing going, and I am pretty sure my blood pressure was dropping.  However, I had the option of continuing after laboring for 8 hours, or going for the c-section, which is what I chose.  Good thing - he was sunnyside up, and stuck.  However, that is what I consider to be unplanned, not emergency.  It probably would've ended up as an emergency if I decided to keep laboring, and he went into fetal distress.