What type of pain relief is offered before and after a cesarean?
If you have not already had a epidural or spinal anesthesia for labor, or this is a scheduled cesarean, and not an emergency cesarean, you will most likely be given a regional anesthetic (epidural or spinal). If there is a reason that you can’t get regional anesthesia or it is an emergency you will be given a general anesthetic. You may be offered or want to watch for someone giving you a pre-operative sedative. If you are not particularly nervous about the cesarean, you may want to forego this medication. It can reach the baby and make it harder to start the baby breathing after a narcotic (usually), and it can make you groggy an unaware during the birth. After the birth your regional anesthesia will help you be pain free for a few hours, after which you will be prescribed some other type of pain medication (narcotic or otherwise). See also: Planning Your Cesarean FAQ for more discussion of options. Note: Some people have noted that there are major discrepancies between epidural and e
