Today, Caesarean sections (C-sections) make up almost a third of all births. Sometimes this is due to complications with a vaginal delivery that make an emergency C-section possible, but more and more women are electing to deliver their babies via C-section. There are pros and cons to both types of delivery, so it is important to weigh your options before you choose which delivery is right for you and your baby.
| C-Section | Vaginal Delivery |
| Has a longer recovery time; mothers who deliver this way usually stay in the hospital for 4 days, and their body will take about 6 weeks to fully heal. | Has a shorter recovery time; mothers can leave the hospital usually the same day they give birth. |
| Have to wait to have skin-to-skin contact with your baby until after the surgery is over; this can impact the mother-baby bonding process. | Can have skin-to-skin contact with your baby directly after giving birth. |
| For non-emergent C-sections, mothers are able to know exactly when they will give birth and how long it will take. | Labor can last anywhere from 3 hours to 19 hours, giving an amount of uncertainty about how long it will take to deliver the baby. |
| Babies are more likely to have medical issues such as allergies and respiratory issues. | Babies are less likely to have medical issues such as allergies and respiratory issues. |
| Mothers have to wait until after surgery is over to breastfeed their baby. | Mothers can breastfeed their baby soon after giving birth. |
| Does not damage the pelvic floor, but does leave a large scar on the mother’s abdomen from the incision site. | Damages the pelvic floor, leading to urine leakages for years after giving birth. |
| If the mother has certain sexually transmitted diseases like HIV or herpes, it is not likely at all that she will pass the disease onto her child with a C-section delivery. | If the mother has certain sexually transmitted diseases like HIV or herpes, it is more likely she will pass the disease onto her child with vaginal delivery. |
| No damage to the pelvic floor if giving birth to multiples or large babies. | More damage to the pelvic floor if giving birth to multiples or large babies. |
| Major surgery, so it comes with higher risk of infection. | Does not increase the mother’s risk for infection. |
| Sometimes leads to mothers not being able to opt for vaginal birth in the future. | Does not affect future birthing options. |
As you can see, there are lots of factors to consider when deciding between your delivery options. If you need help deciding if a C-section or vaginal delivery is best for you, schedule an appointment at Mt. Auburn today to discuss your delivery options.