Ask the Pros
Birth Plans
Birth Stories
Bookstore
Boy or Girl
Cesareans
Chat Room
Complications
Doulas
Educators
Episiotomy
FAQs
Feeding Baby
Fertility
Finding a Class
Health
Interactive
Labor
Message Board
Monitoring
Newborns
Postcards
Postpartum
Pregnancy
Reviews/Awards
Search
VBAC
Week by Week

Ask A Midwife

Q. I received a spinal to block the pain of my c-section, is backache a common long term side effect as with an epidural? I tryed to find info on this and am at a dead end.

A. Short term or long term backache can be a sequelle of any sort of spinal anesthesia. You didn't clarify how far postpartum you are. If you are just a few weeks, I wouldn't be too concerned. After 6-8 weeks, most folks find this condition resolves. But yes, backache is a common side effect of epidurals. An excellent book you might find is: The VBAC Companion by Diana Korte. It talks alot about Cesarean Birth, and also the side effects of epidurals. Be sure to discuss your concerns with your health care provider.

Pat Sonnenstuhl is a semi-retired nurse midwife with over 30 years of experience in health care (first as an RN, then as an ARNP, CNM). She has experience with hospital nursing/midwifery and home and birth center midwifery.

Two areas of special interest to her are GBS and nutrition.

She is about empowerment, and helping folks find their own answers, what is right for them, not what is right for her. But, she wants you well informed.