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Anesthesia for Cesarean Birth
Epidural or spinal anesthesia can be used to provide anesthesia for cesarean section. If a labor epidural is already in place, this same epidural catheter can be injected with additional medication for cesarean section. For elective or urgent cesarean section, epidural or spinal anesthesia can be administered within 10 to 20 minutes. The procedure for spinal anesthesia is similar to the epidural except that a designed needle is used for the spinal sac. The resultant anesthetic is almost identical to the epidural and the risk of complications is no different. The decision to use epidural or spinal for cesarean section depends upon the medical condition of the mother and baby.

Since pregnancy increases the risk of general anesthesia, it is reserved for mothers with contraindication to regional anesthesia or a fetal emergency. During this type of anesthesia, a support person for the mother will not be able to enter the operating room.

Post-operative Pain Medication
Post-operative pain medication may include intravenous, epidural, or spinal medication. Your options will be discussed with you when the decision is made to proceed with cesarean section or during your preoperative anesthesia visit.

Billing
Services provided by your obstetric anesthesiologist are billed separately from hospital charges from St. John’s Mercy in the same way your obstetrician bills separately for his or her services. Most of your obstetrical anesthesia services will be covered by your insurance. Our office will bill the insurance company directly. You will only receive a statement for your applicable deductible or co-pay as determined by your insurance carrier. If you have questions regarding billing issues, our office is happy to assist you. Our goal is to answer your questions, ease your fears, and make your labor and your baby’s birth as safe as possible. We are always available to answer questions, whether they come up before, during or even after you deliver your baby. As you approach this wonderful time in your life, know that you will have the support of an experienced and specialized anesthesia practice. We sincerely wish you all the best.

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