Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

I'm scheduled for 39 weeks and the ob said obviously if I go into labor before then, they would do the C-section then....My question is this...

On the day of my scheduled c-section I was told not to eat or drink anything after like 10 or 12 the night before..

If I go into labor, and have to have the c-section- will it matter if I ate or drank that day? Or does it just increase my chance of vomiting etc ???...I know lots of vag. deliveries that end up as c-sections and I'm sure eating and drinking is not a big deal, just wondering why its so stressed for the scheduled c-section ( or is because an empty stomach is ideal and they figure why not, since its planned ...) Just curious ...

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

I had a sched csection, then wound up having to have an emergency csection one mth early.

I was in L and Delivery the whole night, they weren't sure what was going to happen so the Resident dr insisted I eat breakfast. I kept asking "Should I really be eating?" as my dr was coming in by 8am to make a decision. They told me YES and even gave me TWO breakfasts. So I ate despite my nagging feeling I should not eat.

Sure enough, 1/2 hr later my dr says I need an emergency csection and they can't wait for an empty stomach. He says they should have NEVER let me eat. I meet with anesthesia, he says they should have NEVER let me eat but tells me the most that will happen is I would vomit on the table during the csection. I ask if I would choke, he says no, that those muscles are functioning fine and you will turn your head to vomit.

He reassures me that women come in after eating "thanksgiving turkey dinners" who wind up needing anesthesia/emergency sections. So I felt better. And I had the emergency section and NEVER got nauseous or vomited on the table.

So don't worry, I speak from experience!!!
Why is it so stressed? Well I guess why not avoid vomiting if you can...but if you can't oh well.

Message edited 12/24/2008 12:14:09 AM.

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

I didn't have a scheduled c-section, but I was on a liquid diet during my induction. Once I had the epidural, all I could have were ice chips. As soon as the doctor started talking about a c-section b/c my labor didn't progress, I couldn't even have ice chips. I think the main reason for an empty stomach has to do with vomiting.

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

What a great question, thanks for posting, It was very informative!
XOXOXO
BOTB

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

Dont worry about that, i was an emergency c section after 19 hours of labor and i ate a ton the day before!
The thing is, unless you are under general anesthesia, you should be fine, just keep in mind they gotta take your intestines out so they prob like to keep things clean, lol..
I had zero problems and the C section was a piece of cake compared to labor..my labor was awful!!! So, enjoy and you will get to see that baby so much quicker than labor!

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

Thanks everyone ...It all makes sense....With my DS, he was scheduled but as a last minute type of thing ( went to OB on Oct 11 and was scheduled for the 12th) so I had no time to get worried about any of this stuff

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

Also, I wanted to add, that they probably are concerned b.c if by some chance you needed general anesthesia, that could be an issue b/c often the intubate people (put a breathing tube down their throat) and vomiting would be more of an issue b/c you don't have use of any of your muscles during general anesthesia. So I think that's why they rather be safe than sorry. But odds are most people don't need general anesthesia.

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

I think the main reason is because of the vomitting....

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

Yes any surgery they want your stomach as empty as possible. If the 1% (I'm making that up but it's very low) chance that spinal anesthesia is not effective or not an option then general anesthesia would be required. If you have a full stomach you risk vomiting and if you are unconsicous while this is happening you risk aspirating (going into your lungs) on your vomit which can cause aspiration pneumonia and that can be very serious and even fatal. But again this is very rare and I've never heard of this happening to a pregnant woman during a c/section but it's better to be safe then sorry.

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

This is something I wondered about, too. I didn't eat anything for about 10 hours before my c-section, but I was told by my OB that in case of an emergency, they would still do the surgery, but that the spinal might not be effective. In that case, they'd use general anesthesia.

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

I had a scheduled c-section on an empty stomach as directed and came very very close to vomiting on the table from the anesthesia. I told the dr. immediately and he put something in my IV that made me feel better in two seconds flat!

Re: Sched C-section ladies....question I forgot to ask my Doc...

i ended up in an emergency c-section, depending on your situation they may just give you something to stop contractions and wait it out a little while till they can due surgery... this is just an educated guess...

maybe they do something to empty your stomach, again just a guess.