Many gonna be mums, worry whether natural birth will hurt, and whether or not they should opt for a C-section. Today, we take you through some basic facts regarding both normal as well as C-section deliveries, so you understand both and are better prepared for child birth.

What Hurts Worse, Natural Birth or a C-section?

Motherhood is an awesome feeling in the world. But bringing the child to the world is not as easy as it seems. Usually there are two ways in which deliveries are done in expecting women – the natural, normal delivery or the C-section delivery. Usually doctors try to go for the normal delivery as it is good for the mother and the child both. Moreover, the period of getting back to normal life is quicker with normal delivery.

Read More: 11 Reasons you might have a C-section Delivery

Since the C-section is a surgical procedure, it takes time to heal and recover. The mother needs to take precautions so that there are no infections in the surgical area. Getting back to normal life also takes a longer time with a C-section delivery as rest is needed in abundance for complete healing.

Vaginal or normal delivery

In a vaginal delivery, the woman has to go through the process of labor for sure. The process of this kind of delivery is usually quite long. The experience might be quite hard work and grueling for the mother. However, the greatest benefit of a vaginal or normal delivery is that it requires a short stay at the hospital. Infact the recovery time is also quite shorter when compared to C-section delivery. Usually a woman who has vaginal delivery can be discharged from the hospital within a time frame of 24-48 hours only. In case some kinds of problems arise, the stay might be extended. Women who have normal deliveries are able to hold their baby and start the process of breastfeeding quite soon after the process of delivery.

There are some problems with vaginal or normal delivery. During the vaginal delivery, the skin and tissues that are around the vagina have a chance of tearing and stretching as the fetus moves out through the birth canal. Stitches might be needed if the extent of tearing and stretching is quite high. These might lead to injury and weakness in the pelvic muscles and tissues. As a result, bowel functions and urine might be gravely affected. Study reports have shown that women who have had vaginal deliveries are more prone to urinary and bowel incontinence when compared to women who delivered through the C-section. Such women also complain of urine leaking when they laugh loud, sneeze or even cough. Many women also complain of lingering pain in the perineum, which is the area right in between the anus and the vagina.

For the baby, vaginal birth is good as well as he/she gets the mother’s touch sooner for breastfeeding. Also fluid id squeezed out of the lungs of the baby due to working of the muscles during vaginal delivery. This is the reason that babies which are born thorough vaginal delivery have lesser breathing problems at birth. These kids also get good bacteria from the mother’s birth canal, which helps in boosting their immune system and protects the intestinal tracts.

Read More: 11 Must Know Side Effects of a Vaginal Delivery

C-section delivery

C-section delivery is more convenient when compared to normal vaginal delivery. The process of surgical birth can be planned in advance and everybody can be ready for the same. in C-section delivery, the woman does not have to go through the process of long labor and the painfulprocess of delivering through the vaginal canal. It is true that the process of delivery is convenient with no pain as such for the mother. But there are chances of various kinds of physical complaints post delivery after a C-section. Long-lasting soreness in the surgical area, pain at the incision spot etc are some common issues that most women face after a C-section delivery. Risks of blood loss are higher in C-sections and so are chances of infections taking place at the surgical area. There are chances of injuries to the bladder or the bowel tract or formation of blood clots during or after the surgery. As a result of all these, the mother is not able to breastfeed the child as early as mothers with vaginal births can. Complete recovery for C-sections might take almost 2-3 months with proper care. There are also chances of future pregnancy complications with a C-section delivery.

Kids born in C-section deliveries are more likely to have breathing problems at birth and also during their childhood.

To summarize, vaginal births hurt more at the time of delivery, but on the long run they are better than C-section deliveries.