What is a common side effect of spinal anesthesia that Emma experienced after her procedure?

A common side effect of spinal anesthesia is a hypotensive episode, which can occur due to the sympathetic nerve blockade that spinal anesthesia causes. This blockade can lead to vasodilation and reduced systemic vascular resistance, resulting in a drop in blood pressure. It is important for healthcare providers to monitor blood pressure closely after administering spinal anesthesia, as a significant hypotensive episode can lead to complications such as decreased organ perfusion.

While other side effects like nausea, headache, and infection are possible after spinal anesthesia, they are not as directly associated with the mechanism of action that causes hypotension. Nausea can occur from a variety of factors including medication effects or anxiety, while headaches, particularly post-dural puncture headaches, occur less frequently and are related to cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Infection is a risk with any invasive procedure but is not considered a common immediate side effect of spinal anesthesia itself. Therefore, hypotension stands out as a specifically relevant and common side effect associated with this type of anesthesia.