One of the hottest topics among pregnant mums is the discussion between normal delivery vs cesarean delivery.
Most mums-to-be and doctors prefer the natural route, but depending on a woman’s condition, she may be advised to undergo a caesarean delivery.
In this article, we will discuss the different aspects of each delivery to shed light on this ongoing debate.
Which Is More Painful, Normal Delivery or Cesarean?
Pain, in a physiological and pathological aspect, gives out a signal that something inside your body may be damaged or has gone wrong.
In the reality of giving birth, most likely in a normal delivery, pain is needed to bear life. It signals you when it is time to push. It’s part of the process.
Your cervix is closed so it needs to be open. For the cervix to open, the uterus must be contracted, so that your baby from the uterus can pass through until it comes out of the vagina.
In the progression of labour in natural birth, the contraction also progresses. That being said, your pain will become more intense. Pain in labour is a necessary part of giving birth to your baby. It helps the baby to pass through smoothly to the pelvis.
On the contrary, caesarean section (c-section) delivery is believed to be less painful. The operation to be performed requires an anaesthetic process before the procedure of delivery. Basically, it is a surgical procedure.
However, without anaesthesia or pain relief, experts agreed that a C-section is more painful than natural birth. Historically, the first c-section procedure was done for women who died during childbirth.
Basically, on the comparison of the two procedures of delivery, it is meant that c-section delivery is in full anaesthesia versus the normal delivery without any sort of painkillers. With that, normal childbirth is more painful.
Image from | freepik.com
Normal Delivery vs Caesarean Delivery: Procedure, Recovery Time and Risks
To properly assess each delivery procedure and its disadvantages, it’s important to learn about their background first.
1. What is the procedure for each delivery type?
Normal delivery
Natural birth or vaginal delivery can happen in the hospital or birth clinic.
After that, you will go through the three stages of labour:
- Early (first) – this is where your labour begins, mum. The neck of your cervix opens to 10 cm which is dilated.
- Active (2nd) – This is when your baby comes down through your vagina and is born
- Transitional (3rd) – when your placenta (afterbirth) is now delivered
Periodical checkups with your doctor will follow and he will determine what stage you are in. This procedure includes measuring your cervix.
When you reach the measurement of 10 cm, it means that you are fully dilated, and it is the right time for you to push. Your nurses will help you push until the baby is delivered out of the birth canal.
When the baby “crowns” and is delivered, you will still experience minor contractions while preparing the placenta to be delivered.
Image source: iStock
Cesarean Birth
A caesarean birth differs from normal delivery. Generally, c-section delivery is a surgical procedure with a span of a quarter of an hour, compared to a normal delivery which can take hours to a day.
In this type of delivery, your doctor will make an incision in your abdomen through your womb. This should be done so the doctor can remove your baby.
When your baby comes out, the doctor will cut your umbilical cord. He will also clean and remove the placenta from your baby. Then he will sew the incision in your abdomen and womb.
After the delivery, the nurses will check and clear your baby’s airway first while you are also expected to rest and recover from the surgery. It is a longer wait compared to vaginal delivery. You will be united with your baby a little bit later.
2. Recovery and healing span
After giving birth, the default “recovery period” will be during the first 6 weeks, as per doctors. Your body needs to rest, heal, and recover physically, and also from the stress of delivery.
In a normal delivery, your healing and delivery depend on the situated birth-giving. If you underwent additional medical procedures during delivery, you would take the full 6 weeks of recovery.
Meanwhile, as Healthline accounts for the study of ACOG, in c-section delivery, your healing would take a span similar to any surgery. You should stay in the hospital for 2 to 4 days after the procedure.
During the first few weeks of healing, your scars will feel itchy and painful. This signifies the healing process.
You will then experience mild cramps, bleeding, or discharge during weeks 4 to 6 of your recovery. After your 6th week of healing, visit your doctor for an assessment of your recovery condition.
But which recovery happens faster? In general, vaginal delivery recovery is faster than c-section delivery.
But based on more particular studies, some mothers recover slower in a vaginal delivery. This is because of the additional procedures performed during the vaginal delivery.
Mums, it is important to realise that women have different bodies, meaning, you will have different experiences of delivery, healing, and recovery.
Sometimes, a surgical delivery like a c-section heals faster than a normal delivery, but not always.
3. Risks and complications
Both normal birth delivery and c-section delivery come with complications and health risks. This is why it is always recommended to heed your doctor’s advice.
Mothers who deliver normally can experience perineal tears or a need for an episiotomy that requires stitches. It would also require more weeks of healing time.
While c-section delivery is not different from other surgeries, this will too, has many risks and complications. Problems can result in blood loss, infections, blood clots, injury to the bowel or bladder, and certain reactions to medications prescribed.
Image Source: iStock
Normal Delivery vs Cesarean Delivery: Other Pros and Cons
Here are other factors that doctors and pregnant women consider when it comes to comparing the two delivery procedures:
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Lower risks of infections
Comparing the vaginal and c-section delivery, a c-section would or may let you acquire more risks of infection than vaginal delivery. That would leave you in a vulnerable state.
Also, even if many mothers are open to both options, experts commend natural birth more than cesarean. Find out why here.
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A better connection between mother and baby
Dr Robbie-Davis Floyd, an expert on midwifery and childbirth, affirmed that c-section delivery is harmful to baby-mother contact, affecting the proceeding process of bonding and breastfeeding.
A natural or normal delivery lets you hold your baby immediately. This can affect a better connection between you and your baby. When you hold your baby after a normal delivery, the mother’s bacteria “colonise” the baby. This bacteria is needed while the baby is living and growing up with the mother.
A baby born in a cesarean delivery may contact the bacteria of the nurses or of the doctors. This bacteria will colonise the baby, making it hard for the baby to be less used to your own bacteria. This will result in more chronic sicknesses and infections that may endanger your baby’s health.
Mums, did you also know that a huge rush of oxytocin will happen because of the post-birth recovery and healing?
Oxytocins help a mother’s body heal faster. But that’s not only the use of this hormone. Commonly known as the “love hormone”, it is released during your final push, letting you feel infatuated with your baby. This will result in a better bond with your child.
Also, this hormone helps in breast milk flow and production, making breastfeeding easier. This opportunity is always missed out on by caesarean-born babies.
Image source: iStock
After we have set the showdown between normal delivery and caesarean delivery, you may now choose the best for you. However, remember that the goal is not whether to have a natural birth or go under the knife, but to deliver your baby as safely and as healthy as possible. A shorter recovery time and healing period are just a bonus.
To learn about your options for labour and giving birth, do not hesitate to discuss your birth plan with your doctor.
This article was written by Nathanielle Torre and republished with permission from theAsianparent Philippines.
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
