From the first days of pregnancy, an important question occupies the minds of expectant mothers: “Normal delivery or cesarean section?” In a normal pregnancy, the contractions that come with the advancing gestational week are the harbingers of labor. While the process progresses in this way, although expectant parents make their own choice about how the birth will take place, in fact, the birth will vary according to the condition of the baby, the nature of the pregnancy and the decision of the physician. Expectant parents should remember that normal or caesarean section is not superior to each other and the type of delivery should be determined according to the health of the baby. The answer to the question is determined by the bone structure of the expectant mother, the developmental status of the pregnancy, the onset and course of labor and previous births. The mode of delivery should be decided with the doctor who has followed the pregnancy at approximately 37-38 weeks. Although the mode of delivery is decided in advance, expectant mothers become anxious shortly before the birth and may make wrong decisions with increasing anxiety.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of normal birth?
During pregnancy, the body prepares itself for birth naturally. For this reason, normal birth should be preferred if the conditions are suitable. Since there is no anesthesia during the birth, it is priceless for the awake mother to hear her baby’s first scream and to be able to touch it. The mother who has a normal delivery can get up shortly after birth and go about her daily life without difficulty. In contrast to all these advantages, the prolonged contractions, the intensity of the pain and the deformations that may occur in the vaginal area during labor should also be taken into account. Because of the deformations, the person may experience urinary incontinence, uterine prolapse and problems in sexual life. At the same time, there may be situations related to the baby, such as shoulder impingement, which cannot be foreseen or prevented in normal delivery.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of caesarean section?
Caesarean section is a surgical operation in which the baby is removed through an incision in the mother’s abdomen. The advantages of a caesarean section are that the mother does not experience pain during labor and the baby is removed from the abdomen with minimal risk. Although anesthesia and the absence of pain for the mother may seem like an immediate advantage, it will require the mother to take great care for herself afterwards. It will take an average of 2 weeks for the mother who has undergone surgery to recover and spend time with her baby normally.
Even if stitches have been removed in women who give birth normally, the mother can take a bath on the same day and even take care of her baby without anyone’s help. After a normal delivery, it is easier for the milk to come in, for the baby to learn to suck, and for the mother to return to her ideal weight. Normal birth does not cause intra-abdominal adhesions that can occur in a caesarean section. Each normal birth is easier than the previous one and takes place without stitches. Every caesarean section is riskier than the previous one!
If a caesarean section is decided upon, planning the date in advance is better than an emergency caesarean section in terms of fewer medical complications. In some distressing situations, the baby may not have the time or the choice to wait for a normal delivery. Situations such as placental insufficiency and disruption of the baby’s heart rhythm also necessitate an emergency caesarean section.
If a caesarean section is performed under general anesthesia, there may be delays in passing gas, eating and breastfeeding. The hospital stay and the time for the mother to return to her daily life is longer than in a normal delivery. If a caesarean section was performed with epidural anesthesia, it is possible to witness the moment of birth, breastfeed the baby immediately, and control the pain of the operation, but a caesarean section should not be the first method of delivery. However, it is also not right to declare war on caesarean section, to oppose it completely, or to force difficult birth cases to normal birth.
As a result, normal birth should be considered first and cesarean section should not be the first choice.