Deciding between a natural birth or planned c-section: Pros & cons?

[1stimemum]

my 2 cents. I think alot of women make child birth stories almost like war stories... everything gets amplified as time goes by... if you can have a natural delivery, why not? here's another great reason... ITS SOO MUCH CHEAPER esp at private hospitals.

I wanted to have a natural delivery right up till wk 38 but baby was breech and these days most doctors would rather not deliver naturally in that situation (lack of experience on their part, higher risk involved)

My c section was very uneventful and but I think recovery was harder as you have to be so mindful of infections and the like. and I second the other mums; at the end of the day, the little one in your arms is really all that matters.

 

[lalligirl]

If you do decide to go natural, I can highly recommend doing a hypnobirthing course to help calm your fears about natural childbirth. Even if you don't fully subscribe to the hypnobirthing model (which advocates completely intervention-free, calm childbirth), it may help you to address some of your fears surrounding the idea of vaginal birth & it gives you some very good coping techniques (breathing etc.). I'm sure there are other things out there that teach you similarly, but this is the one i have experience with!

 

[carang]

there was NOTHING amplified about what i wrote... actually, i toned it down, didn't mention the terrible infection that set in afterwards... i remember it like it was yesterday. i cried through the entire operation. the anesthetist's assistant spent the entire operation drying my eyes and wiping my nose.

for my second, i delivered under general anesthesia and slept through the entire process. it was by far the easier of the two births. however, there are more possibilities of complications etc under general anesthesia. it's also more difficult on the baby. my daughter had to be put into special care for 24 hours because her reaction times were delayed due to anesthesia. it also took me A LOT longer, read: months, to bond with her....

i REALLY don't think that women exaggerate their birth stories, even when they're not good stories. that is doing those of us that experienced bad deliveries a MAJOR disservice and i think it is uncalled for.

 

[Shenzhennifer]

I had 2 c-sections and thought the second has been much better in terms of recovery, I have to say that they ARE terrible. After my first, I was in shock at how much pain I was in and how so many women chose this as a preferred method of delivery. With my second it was better, maybe bc it was planned and I was expecting it, but those first 24 hours were pretty bad. I was so jealous of the natural delivery women who just sprung back to life just hours after having a baby.

 

[banane76]

Try to surround yourself with positive birth stories, but also be informed. C-sections are major abdominal surgeries so to have one just because you want your baby on a certain date or you think it will be too painful to push, may not be the best reason to have a c-section. They are there for medical reasons and doctors that have to perform it are good at their jobs. The most important thing is having a healthy baby whether or not you do it naturally or you end up having to have a c-section. WATCH THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN!

 

[bloominginHK]

To be perfectly honest... I really don't understand why Dr's give us the option of how we want our babies to be born, unless of course it's medically necessary.

Our bodies were created to give birth the natural way... and our babies will come when they are ready (granted I know some come too early), so to me a scheduled c-section just seems like it's all about the convenience for the parents and Dr's and not what's best for the baby. And while c-sections are a routine surgery, they are still a major surgery but that side of the details never seem to be discussed by the Dr's/nurse's here but maybe that's just my experience.

I have 3 children. The first natural with epidural, the second was a planned c-section though it wasn't planned until 36wks when the nurses were convinced I couldn't deliver him because of his size (4.5k), and my third was a VBAC with gas. Of all the issues I had with all 3 deliveries, the only one I would do-over is his. The process was scary to me and the recovery was much more painful, harder, much longer and after my 3rd (who also was about 4.3k) I realize was unnecessary.

The benefit to me for my son was I thought i wouldn't have to deal with labor but lucky me went into labor 3hrs before my surgery so I still dealt with labor pains.

I do know that planned c-sections usually mean a delivery 1/2wks before you expected due date but I think you need to be cautious with that as well because due dates are just that... expected. I know a few moms who planned c-sections and the babies were very obviously not ready for birth but again I'm sure that's not the norm.

There's no guarantees for any delivery. And as everyone has said, what matters most is that you and baby are healthy. And if you want natural, there's a lot of help/support out there to help you cope and make it a wonderful experience. It's normal to worry about the delivery but don't let it consume you... especially at this point. You've got a lot of wonderful moments ahead to experience!

 

[nicolejoy]

I've had two babies naturally - and by naturally, I mean induced with epidurals (some people only use the term "natural" to mean "with no drugs/intervention" - I don't mean it like that). Both experiences were bearable, pain-wise - and I recovered quickly. I was up and walking soon after, with my second, I was discharged just about 15-18 hours after she was born. The first time I had an episiotomy which was the hardest part of my recovery as it was quite painful - so the second time I opted not to have that done. I did have a second degree tear but it wasn't very painful at all, and it healed up very quickly. Even after just two weeks, it was just about back to normal.

I personally can NOT understand why people would choose to have an elective C-section. Even if you don't want the pain, you have the option of an epidural and can have the best of both worlds - a relatively painless delivery AND a fast recovery. And if you REALLY want to plan the date, you can even schedule an induction (although I wouldn't recommend that - it does make the early stages of labour more painful and has a higher chance of needing an emergency C section).

Just my 2c

 

[charade]

One thing that women who had c-sections talk about is not being able to hold thier baby just after birth and someone above mentioned not feeling anything while the baby was out. I had a natural delivery and really, I felt nothing either, even when the baby was placed on my chest. I remember thinking - this is strange, I should be feeling something but all I felt was mild curiosity. I felt that rush of bonding when they brought the baby to me four hours later after I had had some sleep and he latched on to my breast.

I had an epistiomy and I also had pain rolling over, moving etc. It's been nearly three months, and I still have pain! I've heard women with c-sections recover faster.

I am also slightly amused when women say they felt regret having not experienced labour pains. Really, they are horrific! In my opinion, the whole experience of natural birth is the most violent and painful experience one would ever volunteer for.

HOWEVER, even though I sometimes say "if there's ever a second baby, I'll have a c-sec", I know I wouldn't. Not unless it was medically necessary. The natural way was how it was intended, and been perfected over years of evolution. So unless there is some danger to mother or baby, I think its the way to go. And as Nicole pointed out, there's always epidurals. Though even epidurals have there effects, and you should be aware of them. Halfway during labour I was screaming for an epirdural, which being a public hospital they didn't give me. In the end, I'm glad I managed without (the nurses were very motherly and kept up these delaying tactics) but next time around, I will plan it so that I have the option of it if it gets too bad. I was induced so don't know if that had something to do with the intensity of pain.

My advice would be - go natural, unless your doctor advices a c-section for medical reasons - and have an epidural on standby.

 

[lesliefu]

i've had 2 natural births and for my 3rd will have a natural too - to be honest, i've never quite experienced something so painful BUT luckily for us, there is epidural...really no shame in using it! i had my 1st one at matilda and the anesthesiologist there (dr Ooi? - he's in house) was great - you felt the urge to pushm but didn't feel so much pain. i had 2 top ups before i actually had the baby - no problem there!

if you're physically unable to have a natural birth, then there's nothing wrong with a c-section, but sometimes i wonder why doctors even allow one to have electie c-sections if it is not medically necessary. the recovery time (from what I've heard) is about 2mths for c-section but for natural it's within a week. i was up and about 4 hours after giving birth to take a shower (yes - against the will of my MIL!!! ) but, hey, I NEEDED my shower!

 

[nicolejoy]

I had both of my girls at the public hospital too and I asked for an epidural AS SOON AS I got into the delivery ward. With my first, I had very little pain and probably could have managed NOT getting an epidural - I more got it because I felt like my labour would progress better if I was more rested and relaxed - and that WAS the case for me. With my second, I had to wait a little longer and was quite uncomfortable - particularly because I wasn't able to change position at ALL due to them wanting to closely monitor my baby and there was only ONE spot where they could get her heartbeat.

There will be people who have fast recoveries from C section and people who have slow recoveries from natural births - but in GENERAL, a natural birth will normally have an easier recovery than a C section.