Traumatised mum left in agony after epidural wears off during cesarean

A mum has vowed never to get pregnant again again her epidural wore off midway through her cesarean.

Jodie Marsden, 27, could feel medics ‘pulling her stomach apart’ as she gave birth to her son Arthur, leaving her in agony.

Her blood pressure then rose dangerously, and doctors were forced to put her under general anaesthetic immediately after, as they feared she could suffer a heart attack or a stroke.

She has now vowed not to have any more children, stating that she was ‘totally traumatised’ by the ‘absolutely terrifying’ experience.

Jodie, from Wakefield, said: ‘I could feel them juggling about inside my stomach – one person was shoving down on the top of my stomach whilst another was pulling the baby out.

‘It was agony. I could feel the clamp inside me and the suction going around and I was really struggling to breathe.’

She continued: ‘We said ourselves that he would wait until Friday the 13th to make an appearance, and then we noticed it was a full moon, but it never crossed our mind what would happen.

‘I could feel them actually pulling my stomach apart as they were ripping the muscles and I was in extreme pain.’

She added: ‘I’m never having another baby ever again, that’s for sure.’

Jodie married her husband Matt, 34, in September 2018 and the couple got pregnant quickly after, but sadly miscarried after seven weeks.

They then discovered they were expecting again just after Christmas, but Jodie developed pregnancy hypertension six weeks before her due date.

She was due to be induced at Pinderfields Hospital on September 11 and doctors administered an epidural, which gives immediate pain relief.

Two days later she had only dilated 6cm, so doctors gave her a hormone drip to encourage the birth, but baby Arthur’s heart beat started dropping dangerously with every contraction.

They then prepped Jodie for an emergency cesarean, upping the dose of her epidural and checking that she was numb – but she could feel everything once the cesarean began.

Jodie said: ‘For the incision, I just felt slight pressure, but then I felt them actually pulling my stomach apart as they were ripping the muscles and I was in so much pain.

‘The anaesthetist was asking me if it was pain or pressure, and I was saying pain, but Matt said it was just like a whisper coming out of me.

‘They could see I was uncomfortable, so they gave me more medication to try and get the pain under control but I was still in pain.’

During the birth, Jodie lost two and a half pints of blood, and doctors put her under general anaesthetic as her blood pressure rose.

She stayed in theatre for another hour and a half before she was finally able to hold her son, and the pair were then monitored in recovery for 16 hours.

Jodie, who owns a dog grooming business, is now back at home with baby Arthur and both are healthy and doing well.

She said: ‘It definitely wasn’t what we expected – it’s not like you see on One Born Every Minute where they’re laid all calm and comfortable.

‘It was like living in a nightmare, and I’m definitely not having any more children. I love Arthur and am enjoying being a mum, but there’s no way I’m going through that all ever again.’