Lots of Doctor's Appointments

In the past week, we have had lots of appointments to ask questions and do our best to make a decision about how Madelyn will be born.
Because of my medical history with my back and the surgeries I have had in the past 4-5 years, we felt like it would be a good idea to go see Dr. Idiculla. She was the head doctor in charge of my rehabilitation and I go to see her on a yearly basis. Tyler and I both had many questions about how labor and delivery would affect my back and the rods and screws that are in place. We also have many concerns about how an epidural would work too because my spine is fused in the place that most epidurals are done.
Of course, I got online to start finding information and I found only scary things that had no good news. Tyler threatened to block Google if I didn't stop reading online until we knew more from talking to my doctors.
On Monday, I went to see Dr. Idiculla at Heartland in St. Joe. Tyler wasn't able to go with me, but my mom went along to ask questions and to help me remember everything that was said. Surprisingly, the doctor wasn't concerned at all with my back. She was more concerned with the nerve damage that had occured before and how a large baby or prolonged labor could damage all of the progress I had made. A very long story short, she recommended that I have the baby via C-section and more likely than not with general anesthesia, rather than an epidural.
We had a regular scheduled OB appointment on Thursday. Tyler and I were both there and went over all of our concerns about my history and shared the information that Dr. Idiculla gave to us. Dr. Driskell, our OB doctor, gave us her opinion and told us the risks of both options. I left that appointment feeling very overwhelmed and stressed because there is so much unknown and we have lots of decisions to make. I was at a place that I didn't feel we even had a good option to choose. Tyler, on the other hand, left the appointment feeling very good and he had a strong feeling that a C-section will be the best option for both Me and Madelyn.
We still have a consultation appointment with the Anestheisa department at St. Lukes on the 28th. At that appointment, we will be able to go over my medical history and learn what our options are for pain management. There are a couple of possibilites for using an epidural or spinal block. I'm just not sure where the doctors stand on their willingness to even try it or how the scar tissue that I have in my back will affect the effectiveness of the procedure. If an epidural isn't an option or does not take, and I have an C-section, the only option is General Anesthesia - where I will be put completely out and Tyler won't be allowed in the room. It's not ideal and hopefully it isn't the option that we will have to take, but we have to make sure we make the best decision for both mom and baby.
We won't have to make a decision until the first week of January, so we're doing our best to get all of the information in the mean time and we will talk with the doctors again to make a decision. Either way, we don't have much time until Madelyn is here and we won't have to worry about all of this anymore.