Is a C section safer?

[firsttimepregnanthelp]

Is a C section safer than a vaginal birth? I have read of so many things going wrong during labour and worked with families where the child has been disabled after getting stuck. With the way the NHS is and the stories you hear about maternity wards being understaffed etc I wonder if a C section is the way to go?

Don't think you can generalise
It's on an individual basis
Both come with risks
Both come with benefits
Depends on the risk factors for mum and baby

Depends on the individual. In some cases, it will absolutely be safer to have a C-section, but vaginal birth is still safer on the whole.

Statistically a vaginal birth is safer for the mother, the risk of maternal death following a c-section is 1 in 4200 vs 1 in 25000 for a vaginal birth. That said, obviously often the reason for a c-section is that there have been risk factors identified and many c-sections are done in response to something going wrong during labour. An emergency c-section is more risky than an elective one. For babies there is no significant difference in the number admitted to a neonatal unit following a c-section vs vaginal birth but babies born via c-section are more likely to die in the first 28 days; 1 in 2000 compared to 1 in 3300 after vaginal birth. Again the statistics don’t take into account that c-sections often occur due to a pre-identified risk factor or complication.

Source: https://www.mkuh.nhs.uk/patient-information-leaflet/considering-a-caesarean-birth

I think it's hard to tell because the statistics re long term complications of c sections are skewed by the number of c sections that are done because of pre-existing complications. Anecdotally I have heard many stories of mothers and babies with long term, life changing complications of vaginal birth but none as a direct result of a c section. Obviously a c section is major surgery though and on average recovery for the mother probably takes longer.

one of the main problems with childbirth by either route is that you only know for certain that it's going to go smoothly after it did go smoothly. It's a process that can throw some pretty funky curveballs whichever way you decide. The balance of risk vs benefit will be different for every woman, and may change as a pregnancy progresses and may be different for the same woman in different pregnancies. Best people to help weigh up the pros and cons are the HCPs who know your history.