Why C-Section is better than Normal Delivery for Women?

Why and how c-section is better than normal delivery for women?

Pregnant women can opt for one of the two ways to deliver their babies: they can either have a normal/vaginal delivery or a surgical delivery by having a c-section. In many cases, the choice of having a c-section is planned due to certain medical reasons that make having a normal delivery risky. A pregnant female may know in advance that she will require a c-section and can schedule it as she may be carrying twins or multiple babies, or she may be suffering from a medical condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes, an infection such as hiv or herpes that may complicate pregnancy or there may be placental problems during pregnancy.

A c-section also becomes a necessity in situations such as where the mother has a small pelvis and the baby is very large or when the baby is in heads up position and efforts to turn the position of the baby before delivery have not been successful.

In some cases the decision to do a c-section is unplanned and taken by the obstetrician due to certain emergency reasons such as problems during pregnancy or if the labour is happening too slowly or if the baby is not receiving enough oxygen.

Some of the c-sections are considered to be elective and may be requested by the female for reasons that are non-medical before she goes into labour. A female may choose to get a c-section if she wants to plan her delivery or if she had a vaginal delivery that was complicated previously.

Why c-section is better than normal delivery for women?

During a normal delivery, there is a higher risk that the tissues and skin around the vagina stretch and tear when the baby passes through the birth canal. If this stretching and tearing is severe, it may require stitches. This may ultimately lead to weakness or injury to the muscles of the pelvis that control bowel and urine function.

According to some studies, it has been found that females who have had normal/vaginal deliveries are more prone to develop urinary or bowel incontinence (leakage of urine and stool respectively) than females who have had c-sections. They are also more at risk of developing leakage of urine during sneezing, coughing or laughing.

After a normal delivery, a female may also develop a lingering or continuous pain in the perineum-the region between the vagina and anus.

According to a study published in the new england journal of medicine, the rates of bleeding into the brain of the baby was higher during vacuum extraction and forceps delivery (two methods of using assistive devices during normal deliver) than during c-section.