Spinal vs. Epidural

tlee123

My first c-section was unplanned.  I labored and pushed first so I had the epidural already in place.  When they took me into surgery I think I felt more than I should have (the knife, although didn't hurt still freaked me out) I panicked and I ended up getting completely knocked out.

Does a spinal block out all pain and/or feeling?  Which did you prefer if you've had both?  Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

laurasuzanne2006

i had a spinal and felt everything but the pain.  it was a strange thing and bothered me at firstbut i got over it

SoldiersGreenBean

I didn't feel anything with my spinal.

Switzerland

laurasuzanne2006:

i had a spinal and felt everything but the pain.  it was a strange thing and bothered me at firstbut i got over it

 

Whoa - I have never heard of this --- what do you mean you felt everything? I had unplanned c/s with #1 and so I had an epidural and never felt a thing just some tugging, etc when they were taking baby out.  

craxyrae

Switzerland:

laurasuzanne2006:

i had a spinal and felt everything but the pain.  it was a strange thing and bothered me at firstbut i got over it

 

Whoa - I have never heard of this --- what do you mean you felt everything? I had unplanned c/s with #1 and so I had an epidural and never felt a thing just some tugging, etc when they were taking baby out.  

I definitely felt more than just tugging when they took the baby out.  I had an epidural which they topped up before c-section, but they did not wait long to start cutting.  I made them wait twice because I could feel pain when they started to cut.  I was very disturbed by the feelings of things moving around and the tugging was pretty intense.  I was focussing more on getting their hands out of my abdomen than my baby's arrival...at least more than I hoped/expected.  At one point I think I was close to a panic attack.

akayf

My friend has had both.   She had an epidural with her 1st.   Her water broke a day shy of 37 weeks and even with pitocin, she never got past 3 cm.   After nearly 24 hours, they decided to do a c-section.   Since she already had an epi in place, they just used that.

Her 2nd time she had a RCS and they gave her a spinal.   She said she liked the spinal a lot more.  

amyegunnip

I didn't think the spinal placement really hurt...it just felt awkward. Similar to the c/s operation itself--it just felt "weird" but you don't feel the pain.

indika236

laurasuzanne2006:

i had a spinal and felt everything but the pain.  it was a strange thing and bothered me at firstbut i got over it

 

Same here. I could feel them touch my skin (i.e. the pressure of it) and all of the tugging, but could not feel any pain. I also had a mirror above my table so I could watch...It was kinda cool  

ChiTown Bridget

I felt nothing at all. Some people say they feel tugging and or pressure and I felt none of that. It was a very odd feeling and the fact that I could feel nothing freaked me out a little.

lwogsland

spinal is the preferred route as it's generally more effective and they can inject a painkiller into your back which helps with the pain for up to 24 hours (duramorph is what it is called)...there are much greater issues with pain control after using an epidural for the block as you cannot inject duramorph that way..so usually those patients end up with a PCA for pain control post delivery whereas spinal patients dont nee do ne

biblionerd

I didn't feel anything until they went to pull him out. Then WHOA buddy... talk about feeling like a house is sitting on you. It was the most intense pressure of my life. It took 4 people to get him out though ad he was really wedged in there. I think a lot of it was pressure on my lungs from them pushing. I felt like I was going to pass out from not breathing. 

laurasuzanne2006

Switzerland:

laurasuzanne2006:

i had a spinal and felt everything but the pain.  it was a strange thing and bothered me at firstbut i got over it

 

Whoa - I have never heard of this --- what do you mean you felt everything? I had unplanned c/s with #1 and so I had an epidural and never felt a thing just some tugging, etc when they were taking baby out.  

i could feel them touching my skin and pressure when they cut, i felt vibration at the end (he said they used staples so i assume that is what that was)  I had a friend who had a spinal with her c and didn't feel any of it.  must just be different for everyone

matzke227

I ended up with both- due to having and emergency c-section- and was completely knocked out for about 2 hours after c-section, but I was told that the spinal is stronger and the recovery takes a little longer and that is why some choose the epideral.

jonnygurl76

i had a spinal and i felt pressure/tugging but that was it.

ImAnRN

indika236:

laurasuzanne2006:

i had a spinal and felt everything but the pain.  it was a strange thing and bothered me at firstbut i got over it

 

Same here. I could feel them touch my skin (i.e. the pressure of it) and all of the tugging, but could not feel any pain. I also had a mirror above my table so I could watch...It was kinda cool  

Whoa! a mirror? I don't think I could handle that. I saw a c/s in nursing school and all I could think was, "oh my god! I totally know what is going on beyond that curtain." :-)

Battlebaby09

I'm glad you asked... I have been wondering as well. I had an epidural the first time due to it being unplanned. I pushed the button a million times before the dr. came in to amp up my epidural for surgery. I didn't feel hardly anything during surgery not even really the tugging for DS to come out and he was jammed in my pelvis from where he got stuck. I had really bad pain in my shoulders during the surgery though... very weird. But overall I was pleased. I'm not so sure I didn't have a reaction to all of the drugs though, because I had AWFUL shaking episodes after. But that could have been from many other variables. I hoping the spinal does just as well! GL

everam01

jonnygurl76:

i had a spinal and i felt pressure/tugging but that was it.

Same for me. I didn't think it hurt going in at all, even the "bee sting" of the numbing of the area for the spinal needle. 

Agape2007

With my first I had epidural because he was breach and they gave me an epidural to try and turn him.  When they couldn't get him to turn they just upped the epidural and did the c-section.  With this one I didn't feel anything except a little pressure when they pulled him out.

 With my second since it was just a repeat c-section they did a spinal.  I thought it hurt more to get the spinal but it could have just been the person performing it.  I remember feeling more of the movements with this one but it wasn't concerning just movement.  I am not sure if it was other factors or what but I felt more awake and not tired with the spinal.  After my first I felt out of it like I had worked hard for days and just wanted to sleep a lot and I didn't have that with the second.  So overall I liked the Spinal better.  

 Just make sure you take pain medication before the pain comes back (stay ahead of the pain) and start moving as soon as possible because the sooner you move the faster the recovery.  The nurses and doctors were amazed how quickly I was healing and willing to get out of bed but because of this I was basically normal and only taking ibuprofen when I left the hospital 2 days later. 

J9melissa

SoldiersGreenBean:

I didn't feel anything with my spinal.

This

jnealet

I must have an overly catious ob because I had a spinal and an epi for my c/s.  I felt tugging but not much more.

Boggymarsh

I much preferred the epi to the spinal.  I did not like heavy feeling in my chest like I couldn't breathe that I got from the spinal which I didn't have with the epi.  Also the duramorph (sp?) that they give you with the spinal cause me to have the most intense itching all over my body for exactly 24 hrs.  Benadryl didn't even touch it.  I would have much preferred some pain from the surgery to the itching.

toriwc

I am assuming my experience was not typical.  I had a failed spinal.  The spinal itself hurt like mad, and I thought, "wait, that's not supposed to be the case." I told the anesthesiologist, was poo pood, and I thought I was just being a big baby.  Then I felt the first cut.  I cried and cried until they got her out, saw her for a minute, then they knocked me out completely. 

I have my first post op appt on Monday with my OB, and while she is not responsible for my spinal, that is the first thing on my list to discuss with her.  It makes me terrified of having a second c/s in the future (not a candidate for vbac).