There are admittedly many risks attached to the delivery of a baby by Cesarean Section, and proponents of natural or vaginal delivery do tend to highlight those at all given opportunities; however there are many benefits to a C section delivery as well, which are important to be aware of so that a woman can make an informed decision about an elective C Section if she so wishes:
Safety: Yes a cesarean birth is a major abdominal surgery and it involves all the risks associated with that, however medical science is now so advanced as to lower the risk so significantly that women can consider elective C Section birth.
C sections are now much safer than they used to be, and with them becoming more routine, surgeons are more skilled at this than ever before.
No Labor pain: Labor pains can be a very real downside to a vaginal delivery. Since labor pains can extend over a long period of time, it can be a harrowingly difficult and painful time for a woman.
There is of course the pain of an abdominal surgery to overcome, but after the first few days the pain is very manageable in most cases. Remember even in a vaginal delivery there is usually an episiotomy performed so there are those stitches to deal with.
In any case proponents of a C section will tell you that with this form of delivery you know the amount and duration of pain, whereas with a vaginal delivery you don’t know how long and severe your labor will be.
You can be conscious throughout and not have to suffer any pain of delivery. Post delivery issues like hemorrhoids etc are also not an issue with a C section.
Dignity and Privacy: A vaginal delivery is not the most private of things, with doctors and nurses milling around to check how dilated you are, and you being in a less than flattering position for any number of hours. A C section is over in a matter of some minutes.
No trauma for the child: Coming through the birth canal is quite an arduous process for a baby, who often comes out with an elongated or slightly misshapen head. In a C section the child is simply lifted out and has to undergo none of the rigors of a vaginal delivery. This is something to be considered too.
You can schedule the delivery: Proponents of natural childbirth generally are of the view that it is a process that should happen in due course rather than something you schedule, but this has to be a personal choice that a woman should be permitted to make without having to deal with guilt.
Related posts:
- The Plus-Size Mom In The Delivery Room: Special Concerns
- Planning For The Unexpected: How To Write A Birth Plan?
- The Risks of Not Knowing You’re Pregnant
- The Risks of Not Knowing You’re Pregnant (Part 2)
- Should You Have An Amniocentesis?
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This is, by far, one of the most irresponsible assessments of cesarean sections I have ever seen in print.
No pain? No trauma for baby? Dignity and Privacy? On what planet?
Cesearans are incredibly painful, have a much longer recovery time, and put the mother at risk for a whole host of complications (including infertility and uterine rupture.)
Cesareans have also been medically proven to be TWICE as dangerous for a baby than a vaginal birth. Plus, the birth process helps rid the baby’s lungs of fluids, which means less need for resuscitation or time spent in the NICU.
Privacy? Dignity? You call being strapped to a table while being gutted like a fish PRIVATE? or DIGNIFIED? That was the most traumatic, unprivate, undignified experience of my entire life.
This is satire, right? Because most women don’t have episiotomies, first of all, and secondly the risks of abdominal surgery and the potential of a staph infection are pretty high. Also, C-sections can prove detrimental to one’ nursing relationship with their newborn. The time immediately following natural delivery plays a crucial role in establishing a healthy nursing relationshop that can be adversely affected by mom being too busy being sewn back up when the baby has just been born.
Nature intends for babies to be squeezed out. C-sections should be interventions, not conveniences.
I’m sorry, but I almost spit coffee all over my keyboard. Dignity and Privacy? Really? Because having medical professionals attend to a vaginal birth is somehow more embarrassing than having them cut you open and dig around past your stomach fat to find your uterus? And anything that involves more time spent in a hospital gown is going to lose the dignity battle anyway.