Why vaginal birth?

[SantaSusan]

Inspired by another thread. I'm really interested to understand the reasons for most women opting for a vaginal birth.

Disclaimer: I really, really want this thread to be a nice discussion to share views. I'd hate for this to descend into a judgy or unkind thread! Obviously, however anyone chooses to give birth is their choice alone. And as long as your precious little bundle arrives safely at the end, then who cares how they got there!?

I ended up with an elective. I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd have anything but a vaginal birth. However, for reasons I won't go into, it was decided during my pregnancy that a c section would probably be the best option for me. Everyone I spoke to absolutely loved their c section experience, and 99% of the comments online were so positive, so I wasn't worried about it at all once it was decided upon.

I had absolutely no pain during my c section or during recovery. I breastfed right away. I was up and about pretty much immediately. This seems to be the experience of most women who've had elcs. I would have an elective section again and again. If I'm lucky enough to have another baby, it'll be another section.

As such, I often wonder why more women don't choose to have their babies this way. It's so common in other countries. I think there's a lot of misinformation around c sections. The risks are also lumped in with those of emergency c sections, so electives are often painted to be riskler than they actually are.

You often hear people saying it's major abdominal surgery' in quite a judgemental way, which of course it is. But as far as surgical procedures go, it's generally very straightforward and in most cases, is easy to recover from.

I also repeatedly hear that vaginal is best as it's the most natural. But just because something is the 'natural' way to do something, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. There's lots of things we do now with technology and with medicine that isn't the 'natural' way, and nobody bats an eyelid.

I can't quite put my finger on why I was so opposed to c sections previously. It's like it was subconsciously ingrained in me for no reason other than popular rhetoric. Which is why I'd be interested to hear why others decided a vaginal birth was best for them? Or why others knew they wanted an elcs? Has your subsequent birthing experience changed your minds at all?

You’re not offered the choice. C sections are vastly more expensive and staff-heavy.

I was very close to needing a hysterectomy because the Dr mucked up - this was an ELCS so the easiest of them all.

Luckily managed to have 2 more DC but it wasn't easy.

My vaginal birth was far better.

I had vaginal births as that's the way nature I tended in the absence of any medical problems that would mean a vaginal birth would be dangerous to life if mother and or infant.

I had two easy births and recovered from the births straight awaywhich meant I could get back to normal asap but with a Caesarian I would have had to go through a healing process before being able to drive or lift etc.

I really wanted a section, ended up with a vaginal birth and it was great. Very painful (couldn’t have epidural I wanted) but short and I didn’t need so much as a paracetamol afterwards. I was bouncing around the ward helping all the section women.
I never imagined it would be so empowering, I still feel like superwoman 4 years later. It was incredible.

I can’t believe I ever wanted elective surgery.

This is exactly the kind of misinformation I was speaking of in my OP.

Giant wound? Absolutely not.

Impeding me from looking after my newborn? Absolutely not.

I was up and looking after my baby pretty much right away. As are the majority of others who had an ELCS.

Why did you come to believe that c sections involve these things?

@SantaSusan Oh, no problem....it's probably an impossible post to word in a way that isn't going to get some people a bit triggered 😀

You're right, it's great we have the choice.

The pp wasn't being judgemental at all - just stating biological fact.

They're not. NICE says the difference is minimal, and obviously if a greater number of women were having them, it would be possible to plan staffing around them and potentially make more efficiencies.

I doubt most women make their birth plans based on potential cost to the NHS anyway, tbh. The fact that the average age of birth is climbing tells us that!

I loved giving birth vaginally. I was shopping next day with my first and no issues at all

I didn't want an operation unless I really had to and I didn't want a scar like my friend has that's caused her no end of issues.

I've had three vaginal births because there was no need for anything else. Two were in a midwife led unit and one was at home. Sections weren't an option in those locations and I didn't want or need them.

All straightforward with no pain relief for 2 and 3 although I had some gas and air with 1.

Two reasons.

My sister had a Cs and it was horrendous for her. Recovery time, unable to do anything for weeks. Then she got an infection, then her scar tissue was horrendous. Her daughter is 25 now and her scar still causes her pain.

Secondly the midwife I saw at my antenatal stuff basically told me because of my weight I'd probably die if I had a Cs (im paraphrasing) so I was terrified. My birth plan said I'd only have one if my baby was going to die if I didn't.

Vaginal birth seemed by far the less scary, safer and easier option.

My personal preference was that I wanted the experience to be as natural as possible, which I felt meant my babies coming when they were ready and, statistically, that is was safer and more beneficial for them (something about squeezing down the birth canal, good bacteria etc!). I didn't want major surgery if unavoidable and knew even the thought of my stomach being cut open would freak me out. I also really wanted to experience a vaginal birth to know what it was like and to go through that journey with my partner, too, and am so glad I got to do so - each time was the most empowering experience I've ever had and I felt genuinely incredible afterwards (emotionally and mentally, anyway!). I was up and about straight afterwards and could drive etc when I felt ready. Obviously it had its challenging moments but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Because its actually a fairly major procedure that leaves permenant scaring and can be debilitating for a while afterwards.

As someone who's done it both ways, I'm always both impressed and depressed at how quickly both sides manage to show their arses in discussions like these.

I didn't have a choice, but even if I had been able to choose a section my daughter arrived early and after a very short labour - so if I'd been booked for an elective it wouldn't have happened. It was her way or the highway from the very start bless her.

I have friends who've had electives and recovered fine too, I think if the end result is a healthy baby it really doesn't matter how it arrived. I do think a lot of people are very smug about having given birth vaginally - a friend of mine's MIL told her after her elective that she wasn't a proper mother because she hadn't given birth the "natural way". That sort of shit is ridiculous. Healthy baby and healthy mum is the only outcome that matters, how we arrived there is irrelevant.

I was happy to have my vaginal births, it was a primal, natural and very precious experience for me. My most treasured memories of the most significant days of my life. I wouldn't have chosen a c section, only if it was necessary, which luckily it wasn't.

But I do think there is also something in the amount of resource that a C-section needs compared to a vaginal birth.

It doesn't feel viable to offer it as an option to all folks, which would explain why the health service treats vaginal birth as the default and educates women in that.

I booked a C-section but had vaginal as my daughter had other ideas. There are pros and cons to both. A good vaginal is usually better than a good C-section as quicker recovery and able to drive, carry baby etc. but a bad vaginal is worse than a bad C-section as can be A LOT of damage done.
Was lucky I had a good and v fast vaginal with no long term effects.

Vaginal is slightly better for baby as they're exposed to the flora in your vaginal canal which can boost immunity and the process is better for their lungs to start working quicker. But long term it makes zero difference.

Do what's best for you. There's pros and cons to both really.

I'm really interested to understand the reasons for most women opting for a vaginal birth.

I didn't 'opt' for it. It's the default.

I think many woman in the UK have vaginal because it is what's normalised. For my birth plan C-section was never mentioned only in it would be for emergency. I do think we are massively pushed into a 'natural birth' because it is the cheapest.

I don't think people say it's major abdominal surgery in a judgmental way; I think it's because so many people expect women to just be up and about completely as normal straight after which for most women isn't possible (or best for recovery). It's a reminder that it is major surgery

Personally, I regret not asking for elective section as I was naïve enough to want to "try" the natural way. It was a complete nightmare and I begged for section during the horrendous labour. Was wheeled into the theatre twice but each time had to go back bcs there were more urgent cases. In the end I was fully dilated and had to go through forceps, no pain relief and pph.

Ah but my experience, and those of others I've spoken to, is that generally you can be up and about right after. And it is actually advised that you are as it aids in recovery! There's loads of threads on here re elcs and in 99% of comments, the women say they were up and about pretty much immediately.

I wonder how many elective caesareans there’d be if people had to pay for them.

I had an emergency C-section, I would have preferred a natural vaginal birth as it’s best for the babies.

I never judge any woman for their choice of which way.