C-section Question?

Question

ok..im due to have a c-section tomorrow at 7am. i was browsing around the net and ran into an article about a healthy 28 year old woman that had a c-section but while the placement of the epidural a bacteria was injected as well she died the next morning from her brain swelling its called..spinal meninjitis..im so freaked out like im going to catch that or something..what are my chances of dying in a hospital when you walk in perfectly fine?..i have a 3 yr old already and he is my everything.! im so frightened ..someone please help..

Answer 1

ill see if I can find statistics numbers for you. but what you are saying has merit, you are more prone to infection while giving birth in a hospital because of the unsanitary environment, and you run a higher risk the more intervention while giving birth (so you are more likely to have an infection after a c section than from giving birth vaginally)

here you go "Each year 2 million patients pick up infections during their stay at a hospital, and thousands of them die... Becoming sicker after you enter a hospital is more common than you might think. The Center for Disease Control reports hospital-acquired infections kill close to 90,000 people each year... Wilford Hall tells us only 40% of healthcare workers wash their hands."
http://www.woai.com/troubleshooters/story.aspx?content_id=C11DACAD-C711-430E-AB77-EA8421E3B309

“We want the public to know by 2008 the hospital infection rates,” she said. “The statistics are alarming.” She said the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 90,000 Americans die each year from these infections. This would indicate that there are three people in Connecticut each day” who die this way, said Rexford. The stats do not include infection rates in nursing homes. “I shudder to think,” she said.
Another 1.9 million Americans get an infection while in the hospital that they don’t die from, but need anywhere from one-30 extra days in the hospital, Rexford said. That adds roughly $5 billion to the U.S. health-care tab each year
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/HealthCare/archives/2006/03/hospital_bill.html

14. If you are planning to have your baby by Cesarean section, follow the steps listed above as if you were having any other type of surgery. Most mothers-to-be probably aren’t worried about hospital infections, but if you’re having a cesarean, you are ten times more at risk of infection than if you are giving birth vaginally. [12]
http://www.hospitalinfection.org/protecting_yourself.html

Mehl, L., Peterson, G., Shaw, N.S., Creavy, D. (1978) "Outcomes of 1146 elective home births: a series of 1146 cases." J Repro Med.
19:281-90
Neonatal Outcomes:

* In the hospital, 3.7 times as many babies required resuscitation.
* Infection rates of newborns were 4 times higher in the hospital.
* There was 2.5 times as many cases of meconium aspiration pneumonia in the hospital group.
* There were 6 cases of neonatal lungwater syndrome in the hospital and none at home.
* There were 30 birth injuries (mostly due to forceps) in the hospital group, and none at home.
* The incidence of respiratory distress among newborns was 17 times greater in the hospital than in the home.
* While neonatal and perinatal death rates were statistically the same for both groups, Apgar scores (a measure of physical well being of the newborn) were significantly worse in the hospital.
http://gentlebirth.org/ronnie/homesafe.html

Several studies on the risk of death from the surgery alone (i.e. factoring out the conditions the surgery was done for) have shown varying, yet consistently depressing, results. Errard and Gold found with eleven years of statistics that the risk of death from cesarean section was 26 times greater than from vaginal birth (Cohen and Estner 26). Cohen and Estner also cite a study done in Georgia showing a maternal death rate of 59.3 per 100,000 women who had cesarean section versus 9.7/100.000 for women who delivered vaginally (26). A California study showed a maternal death rate 2-3 times greater from C-section. Korte and Scaer state that obstetricians admit a maternal death rate four to six times higher with cesareans (162), and add that many believe the rate is higher, giving 1 in 1,000 as the true odds of death for a c-section mother (163). You should also be aware that death is not the only complication caused by cesareans; mothers commonly experience infection after a section. Infertility problems, organ damage, and paralysis from anesthesia complications are rare but possible risks. The pain at the incision site is no picnic either.
http://www.gentlebirth.org/ronnie/homejjg.html

sorry so long lots of info out there I hope it helped

Answer 2

Hi there.. I just had my third c-section.. Things are so much better now then they were back then. I have a 15 yr old. 8 yr old, and newborn.. Each time, I noticed I was in less pain, less stress, and I did not experience any infection with any of them.

There are risks with any type of surgery. Chances shouldn't be to high with the infection. I would not worry so much. This seems rare.

I am not in the best of health. I am 34, and I have Cancer. I also had radiation before getting pregnant. I was able to withstand the surgery with flying colors, not only that...lol...but I let a student place his FIRST epidural in me....He was nervous, but did fine.

Best Wishes,

You should be fine!

Barbara

Answer 3

It can happen there are risks with any surgery and antestesia.... I have had 2 csections and am still alive I had an epi with the first and a spinal with the second and the spinal was MUCH better!!! HOWEVER the risk of you dying from it is very low if done right. If you dont feel comfortable with the dr doing it ask for someone else. Thats the only thing you can do and RELAX!!!

Answer 4

I had a c-section but i did not take the epidural (i refused it) and i was put under (asleep) and everything went fine.

I have not heard anything going wrong with a woman having a c-section where i am from but you got to think there are just as much risks in natural childbirth too.

Don't get all worried cause you will do fine you will see.

Good luck and congrats

Answer 5

I had a csection 8 months ago and everything went alright. The doctors will explain all the risks with you and everything tomorro morning i was so nervous about that kind of things also, hunnie before u get all worried about things like this happening, look at the stats and how many people actually get this, or how many times out of 100 that csections have complications. If u trust your doctors, and ur hospital everything will go alright :-) good luck tomorrow though!!!

Answer 6

Its natural to have those thoughts but that happens very rare. To ease your mind go chk out your hospital report cards. Its like a report on the hospital you will be at telling its history on how clean they are and what kind of rep they have. I had a c section and it was one of the best experiences I ever had. You don't feel a thing and your awake the time your baby comes out and you get to see your baby right when they bring him or her out. It was amazing! You will feel pain after wards like the next morning but they will hook you up with pain killers and its all good! I'm sorry I don't have the website to look up the report cards but I think you can just type in hospital report cards and you will be able to find it. Take care and congrats on the baby.

Answer 7

I've had 3-C sections & all were a sucess with no infections after.
I'd assume the one u read about on the web was as the other ans. said"An Isolated Incident."
The epidural probelly had a bacterial body in it.
Go in & don't dwell on the negative as it will spoil your BIG event.
Good- Luck & have a healthy,happy baby which will bring u lots of JOY & Happiness.****

Answer 8

First off, congratulations on your second child! And secondly, don't worry...millions of women have c-sections and the chances of complications are very rare. The only complication I had was remembering to take it easy! I hated not being able to lift things and get up quickly! Focus on the excitment of having a tiny new life come into yours and in the morning, ask the doctor about the risks involved. He/she will put your mind at ease.

Answer 9

Congratulations and good luck. Don't worry about it - there are risks with a natural delivery, risks driving to hospital, risks cooking dinner. It is part of life and this one sounds so unusual that the hospital has probably never had a case ever despite thousands or tens of thousands of c-section deliveries. If you are nervous ask them and they will tell you what the risks and odds are.

Answer 10

I had an emergency c-section, and seven weeks later came down with cellulitis, which I will have for the rest of my life - it is a recurrent infection which can be serious. It made me mad that I got it, but I also got a very healthy baby boy, and I came out alive.