Re: Pregnancy, Childbirth & the ABCs …
Yea…hubby just said 30 seconds is plenty of time to get it done. Also wanted to add in something regarding the above. At least in the U.S., most hospitals will have multiple anesthesiologists that rotate through a call-schedule. There isn’t a way to predict which one will be there during labor. Patients can make a request for a particular one but the hospital is not required to honor that request (although in most cases they do their best). Of course, the odds of you getting the M.D. of your choice is much higher if you’re at a small private hospital/birthing center and are paying out-of-pocket.
Here’s another point hubby said to keep in mind: If the person doesn’t have any “connections” at the hospital, then it might be a better idea to choose a teaching hospital b/c there is ALWAYS someone there. Otherwise, at many places, the anesthesiologists are on “home call” meaning they’re “on-call” but not actually in the hospital (we know a few that work in places like this). Even once the epidural is administered, if labor is taking long…then the attending will leave and go home. IF he is needed again, then the nurses will call him to come back. So this is definitely something worth researching IF it’s not a teaching hospital…whether or not the anesthesiologists do “home call” or they’re “in house” the ENTIRE time.