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Can Epidural Anesthesia Cause Brain Damage In Infants?
Question: I am a mother of six. I am pregnant now. When I first went for my prenatal visit I told my doctor that I would prefer to not be medicated while I am giving birth. He then told me that my baby's IQ would be lower if I didn't get an epidural. I asked an anethesiologist if this claim was true, he said, "No!". From that point on I deemed my doctor as untrustworthy. So fast forward to 34 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I had an ultrasound, and it says that my baby's head is in the 95 percentile. The doctor told me that I need to schedule a c section bc I am risking breaking my baby's shoulder or shoulder dystocia. All of my previous births have been vaginal with no problem and my biggest baby was 8.5. I do not want an epidural and I feel as though he is trying to make things convenient for him. He claims my baby is 6 pounds at 34 weeks and 2 days....Does it sound like I need a c section? should I get a second opinion?
Brief Answer:
You need to find a new doctor for OB care
Detailed Answer:
There are multiple red flags with regard to the care that you have received. First, based on what I can see from your other question, the pregnancy has not been dated properly. They should NOT have changed the due date based on the 20 week scan. I am happy to answer any additional questions about that fact, but with regard to your current question:
1. Epidurals are NOT associated with lower IQ scores in the offspring - yes they can cause problems in labor with regard to lowering your blood pressure that the fetus does not tolerate well (which sometimes leads to interventions like C-sections), but in general they are very safe
2. The measurement of the fetal head might be normal if the dating was kept at the correct date based on an early ultrasound - I would need more details to comment on this fact
3. Given that you have had prior successful vaginal births, the measurement o the fetal head, even if it was real, is not an indication for a C-section. The risk of a permanent brachial plexus injury with a shoulder dystocia (nerve damage) is extremely rare even when this occurs.
4. You do not have to have an epidural if you do not want one - you certainly have a very high chance of a successful vaginal birth without medication
Please tell me what you think. I do not think you need a second opinion, but you DO need a new OB doctor.
Dr. Raichle
You need to find a new doctor for OB care
Detailed Answer:
There are multiple red flags with regard to the care that you have received. First, based on what I can see from your other question, the pregnancy has not been dated properly. They should NOT have changed the due date based on the 20 week scan. I am happy to answer any additional questions about that fact, but with regard to your current question:
1. Epidurals are NOT associated with lower IQ scores in the offspring - yes they can cause problems in labor with regard to lowering your blood pressure that the fetus does not tolerate well (which sometimes leads to interventions like C-sections), but in general they are very safe
2. The measurement of the fetal head might be normal if the dating was kept at the correct date based on an early ultrasound - I would need more details to comment on this fact
3. Given that you have had prior successful vaginal births, the measurement o the fetal head, even if it was real, is not an indication for a C-section. The risk of a permanent brachial plexus injury with a shoulder dystocia (nerve damage) is extremely rare even when this occurs.
4. You do not have to have an epidural if you do not want one - you certainly have a very high chance of a successful vaginal birth without medication
Please tell me what you think. I do not think you need a second opinion, but you DO need a new OB doctor.
Dr. Raichle
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Dr. Raichle,
Thank you for your thorough and quick response. I really agree with you. When I went into his office and he told me that I needed to schedule an induction....my eyes filled with tears. He was pretty much would not even look me in the eye when I said, " You can't be serious". He said, "It is your choice, you can break his shoulder and he can have Erbs palsy etc." I called around to get a second opinion although now I am 35 weeks and 5 days. I have an appointment tomorrow. A lot of women come in his office happy with their c-sections bc they somehow think that it will "preserve" their vaginas. I am fed up with his scare tactics and above all I do not want him to deliver my baby. I am not sure why he changed my dates on my scans....but my LMP was 12-16-2016 he said according to the scan my LMP was 12-12-16 so he changed it. When I asked him why, he just rolled his eyes. He never mentioned that the ultrasounds could be off because I did not have early dating done at first. On XXXXXXX 13 is when I got a positive hcg blood test at the ER that said my levels were 258 hcg. It took me forever to find an ob in my area after that.
Thank you for your thorough and quick response. I really agree with you. When I went into his office and he told me that I needed to schedule an induction....my eyes filled with tears. He was pretty much would not even look me in the eye when I said, " You can't be serious". He said, "It is your choice, you can break his shoulder and he can have Erbs palsy etc." I called around to get a second opinion although now I am 35 weeks and 5 days. I have an appointment tomorrow. A lot of women come in his office happy with their c-sections bc they somehow think that it will "preserve" their vaginas. I am fed up with his scare tactics and above all I do not want him to deliver my baby. I am not sure why he changed my dates on my scans....but my LMP was 12-16-2016 he said according to the scan my LMP was 12-12-16 so he changed it. When I asked him why, he just rolled his eyes. He never mentioned that the ultrasounds could be off because I did not have early dating done at first. On XXXXXXX 13 is when I got a positive hcg blood test at the ER that said my levels were 258 hcg. It took me forever to find an ob in my area after that.
Brief Answer:
You definitely need another opinion / doctor
Detailed Answer:
I once worked with an OB Provider who would always choose the earlier due date whenever possible. My theory was that she wanted patients to look like they were further along in the pregnancy so that at the point that an induction was indicated (hitting 41 weeks) that few of them would have gone into labor (thus making delivering her own patients more convenient).
Your doctor should have kept the original due date of 12/16 based on what you are saying. They have disrespected you as a patient with even the simplest of questions. Finally, the comment about Erb's Palsy is completely inappropriate.
I would suggest that you file a written complaint to his clinic and find a new clinic as soon as you can.
I hope that this helps.
Dr. Raichle
You definitely need another opinion / doctor
Detailed Answer:
I once worked with an OB Provider who would always choose the earlier due date whenever possible. My theory was that she wanted patients to look like they were further along in the pregnancy so that at the point that an induction was indicated (hitting 41 weeks) that few of them would have gone into labor (thus making delivering her own patients more convenient).
Your doctor should have kept the original due date of 12/16 based on what you are saying. They have disrespected you as a patient with even the simplest of questions. Finally, the comment about Erb's Palsy is completely inappropriate.
I would suggest that you file a written complaint to his clinic and find a new clinic as soon as you can.
I hope that this helps.
Dr. Raichle
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
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