Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
May
3
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“Weren’t You Listening To Me…?”
“Weren’t you listening to me when I told you that could happen?” – Anesthesiologist to mother, after she complained of feeling like there were bricks on her chest after having received a spinal during a manual extraction of the placenta after birth.
There are 20 comments to this post.
Does the same go for dying? I mean cause that could happen too. Would the anesthesiologist just look at the mom and shrug and say well I told her it was possible? Geez.
It baffles me (it shouldn’t, but it does) that they will push the drugs so hard and then not be willing to acknowledge or treat the side effects of those drugs when they happen.
[Reply]
Isn’t it the anesthesiologist’s fault when this ‘side effect’ happens? I think this happens when the drugs run upward toward the lungs instead of only downward and when the does is too high.
The correct response would have been, “Thank you for your feedback on the sensations you’re having. It’s important that you let me know. I will lower the dosage and help you breath.”
What an idiot.
[Reply]
Sherrie Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 6:20 pm (Quote)
YES! This is a result of the dose being too high!
This happened to me with my first and because of it I went into respitory arrest in the recovery room. Unfortunately, with a spinal, they cannot just “lower the dosage”. Unlike and epidural, which is a constant drip of meds into the epidural space around the spine, a spinal is a single injection into the actual spine. So if they give you too high of a dose, there is not much you can do until the morphine kicks in (which is what they usually give you to counter-act the spinal). The combo of morphine and the spinal being too strong (or adminstared too high on the spine) can result in respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest. It is very concerning that the anesthesiologist would just dismiss this very important symptom, since it is usually the only sign you have that the dose was too strong and respiratory arrest could happen!
[Reply]
Serene Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 12:07 am (Quote)
NO!
Its actually a “random” side-effect that is not dose-dependent! It can happen with a LOW dose as well as a HIGH dose. If the ratio is wrong, or even if the drug does not mix well within the solution (if its too cold, they will not mix) then this side effect can happen at low or high doses.
[Reply]
Something similar happened to me. I had a spinal for my C-section and halfway through I was having a hard time breathing and I felt like I couldn’t lift my chest when I breathed. I had to tell the anesthesiologist three times before he even acknowledged that I’d spoken. He was too busy watching my son being born, when I wasn’t even allowed a mirror. He put a nasal oxygen cannula on me and immediately went back to watching the surgery. 
[Reply]
wow, that’s some nifty blame-shifting on that doc’s part. It’s the sort of remark you might hear someone make to a child who is using her model car for a hammer. How is it remotely that woman’s fault that she was given to high a dose of spinal meds?
[Reply]
“And I thought the point of telling me potential side-effects was that I needed to alert you to them.”
So let’s give a rundown, shall we?
1) if you refuse medication, you’re an idiot because it’s perfectly safe and nothing bad could happen
2) if you don’t refuse medication and something happens, you’re an idiot because they told you bad things could happen.
Any questions?
[Reply]
I’m confused…why would you get a spinal block AFTER your give birth?
[Reply]
Amelia Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 9:42 am (Quote)
Sarah,
Because if mom’s birth was unmedicated, but the placenta has to be manually removed, it is usually done with pain medication, because it is incredibly painful.
[Reply]
Curllyq Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 9:57 am (Quote)
gotcha, I was thinking it meant pulling on the umbilical cord instead of letting the mother push it out. This must refer to something more invasive?
[Reply]
Amelia Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:15 am (Quote)
My mom and a friend both had to have their placentas manually removed…it means the doc or midwife has to reach his/her hand up inside the uterus and dislodge the placenta from the uterine wall. It is done as a last resort, when fundal massage, cord traction, etc. haven’t worked.
[Reply]
Elizabeth Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:28 am (Quote)
Is this done after a certain amount of time or something? It took three hours for my placenta to naturally pass.
[Reply]
Amelia Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:34 am (Quote)
If the mom is hemmhoraging (which is what happened to my friend), that would indicate a need for intervention.
[Reply]
Knitted in the Womb Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 8:20 pm (Quote)
Or if the OB pulled on the cord and broke it…said OB will then immediately try to manually remove it without warning, let alone anesthesia. This happened to a client of mine.
[Reply]
Add Your Comment.
Previous Post
« “…You Can Have Your Baby On A Tuesday!” Next Post
“Now, Was That Really Better Than A Cesarean?” »
« “…You Can Have Your Baby On A Tuesday!” Next Post
“Now, Was That Really Better Than A Cesarean?” »
So that gives you every right to ignore the fact that it’s happening and she can’t breathe well, and treat her with condescension and impatience? Way to go…
[Reply]