When would the doctor perform an emergency caesarean? Would this always involve a general anaesthetic?

Generally is the doctor decides that a surgical delivery is urgently required, there is often only time to administer a general anaesthetic. Spinal anaesthetics and epidural do take some time to perform, and so are often not a good option when delivery needs to be done in a hurry. Most hospitals do not allow the partner to attend a caesarean carried out under general anaesthetic. Check with your doctor whether this is the case at your hospital. If the caesarean is not planned, then there is usually an unforeseen medical reason for the procedure. Should your baby show signs of distress, or if your blood pressure rises suddenly, then delivery should be carried out as quickly as possible. Sometimes the umbilical cord gets squeezed between the baby and the birth canal and the baby does not get enough oxygen. Should your uterus rupture during delivery then an emergency caesarean is a must. In addition sometimes problems with the placenta such as placenta previa (when the placenta is too low and is impeding the birth canal) or placenta abruptio (when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus) would be reasons for emergency caesareans. There is no way to predict this, and every woman going into labour should accept that a surgical delivery may be an option. The type of delivery is less important than delivering a healthy baby. If you can have this mindset, and approach the birth process having educated yourself about the caesarean procedure, then you are doing yourself and your baby a favour. You have so many changes to deal with in the next few days, weeks and months. Be grateful that having the caesarean option makes birth a much safer process than it was in your grandmother’s day.

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