Babies can enter this world by either a vaginal birth or a surgical delivery by Cesarean section.
While natural birth is far more common than a Cesarean delivery, the chart below offers our mothers of her childbirth options with some pros and cons for each approach.
- Natural Vaginal Delivery
- Cesarean Section
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What is Involved
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- Birthing room procedure
- Delivery through vagina
- Baby arrives when ready
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- Surgical procedure
- Delivery through incision on abdomen and uterus
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When Indicated
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- Good contractions
- Strong bearing down
- Small or normal baby size
- Normal or not malposition
- Not small pelvis
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- Fetal distress
- Failure to progress
- Abnormal presentation
- Low lying placenta
- Contracted bony pelvis
- Multiple babies
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Benefits for
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- Faster recovery
- Breastfeeding within 2 hrs
- Faster resumption of diet
- Less postpartum depression
- Higher future fertility
- Improved immune system
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- Better for high risk deliveries
- Planned birth date and time
- Emergency or birth complications
- Less birth trauma and pain
- Slow but steady recovery
- Less viral infection transmission
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Issues to Consider
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- More Pain during and after
- Perineal stretching and tears
- Increased risks of haematoma, incontinence and uterine prolapse
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- More blood loss
- Longer hospital stay
- Breastfeeding later
- Increased baby respiratory risk
- Surgical and anesthetic risks
- Possible scarring
