Throughout the years, if we flip back the pages of medical history, childbirth has been a daunting task for the mother alone to travail outside the hospital striving hard to give birth to the child. Such circumstances often ended up hollowing out with complications and threats to both mother and the child.
Childbirth indeed is the most beautiful thing in the world that is bundled with both joy and throbbing labor. The gestation period of eight to nine months ultimately simmers a mix of emotions in the mother’s heart that waits for nothing else but to hear her baby’s first cry post-childbirth.
However, the present frame of medical advancement has taken the childbirth method three notches above from where it had been earlier. Modern medical practices over the past century adhere to make childbirth a special and a safer experience for a mother and the child as well. Rising trends and fledgling face-lift in the hospital’s environment has been promising to make the mother feel warm and homely.
Every pregnant mother is blessed with the strength and potential to give birth to a healthy baby and adapt to a thriving life after the process of childbirth. However, some of them end up combating in the labor room with forthcoming complications that occur abruptly. Fortunately, easy birth plans and alternative preparations for childbirth have been the last moment of salvation.
Here are the two most prominent childbirth methods and their implications every pregnant woman should know about:-
Vaginal Delivery
This method of delivery is the most basic and normal form of delivery of late. The vaginal birth of a child takes place when the baby is born right through the birth canal like how it is normally supposed to be. This type of delivery is the most common type of delivery suitable for any healthy woman. However, this method of delivery undeniably requires basic medical assistance for constant monitoring and support to the mother during the process.
Clearly, vaginal delivery doesn’t require any medication unless some mid-way complication strikes. The baby and the mother prove to be healthy and fine after the process usually. A basic labor contraction alarms the pregnant woman for delivery during 38-41 weeks of pregnancy.
Vaginal delivery wraps up with fast recovery and shorter duration of hospital stays.
Medical science drew out the fact that babies born through this method are at a lower risk of being infected and suffering from respiratory problems. Also, a mother planning to have multiple children is advised to go with the vaginal delivery option.
Few childbirth educators and health experts have witnessed women in the delivery room complaining of a burning sensation during the delivery along with the palpitating pain as the baby comes out of the birth canal. This is one such normal episode of delivery where the labia and perineum reach a point of maximum stretch that causes the burning sensation often called the ring of fire. During this stage of the delivery, the obstetrician is compelled to perform an episiotomy.
Episiotomy involves the basic procedure of intentional incision of the vaginal opening to speed up the delivery. As many as 50 to 60% percent of pregnant women delivering vaginally have to undergo episiotomy to avoid or reduce potential tearing of the tissues. Many pregnant women during the excruciating process of delivery may not be able to feel episiotomy because of the skin and muscles ultimately losing sensations.
Moreover, a tad of risk from normal delivery might include tearing of the perineum. Nonetheless, some of the popular ob-gyn researchers reckon that often pregnant mothers plan for vaginal delivery unless there is a medical complication to opt for alternative procedures like caesarean.
Caesarean Section Delivery (C-Section)
The cesarean section method of delivery can be either planned or spontaneous in response to a sudden complication. A C-Section is a surgical method of childbirth done through an incision made in the mother’s abdomen down through the uterus to pull out the baby. Conventionally, this process is laid confidence on, when there are multiple fetuses or if the size of the baby is unusually large.
During the complications, a C-section makes it a whole lot easier and safer for both the mother and the child during childbirth. Complications might include the wrong positioning of the baby inside the uterus or when the placenta lies low in the uterus and blocks the cervix. Such complications can occur abruptly during or before the childbirth process which makes it more unnerving for the mother to go through a C-section.
Certain risks of a C-section might be a red signal for some women with drastic repercussions like:-
- In a woman with a history of previous C-section, abnormal separation of the placenta might be noticed.
- During the surgical procedure, medicines might react and there are few chances of injuring the bladder.
- Wound infection and blood clots might start appearing if not treated carefully both during and post-delivery.
- Few weeks after the procedure, the mother might start facing trouble urinating or might develop urinary tract infection if health and sanitation aren’t taken care of.
- There are chances of facing future complications in vaginal delivery in a woman with a history of C-section.
Given the future risks and persistent complications of this surgical procedure, the pregnant mother is taken care of and treated by the most specialized health staff that keeps close vigilance on the mother both during and after the delivery. Each action and reaction of the mother and the child is observed, recorded, and treated with the highest responsibility in the hospitals.
Besides normal vaginal and caesarian delivery methods, there have been other techniques adapted as well including some known ones like the Lamaze technique and vacuum extraction. With multiple options to choose from, it is recommended to take the doctor’s advice since each method of childbirth comes with its own set of pros and cons concerning the mother’s health. During any procedure, it is of utmost concern that both the parents stay informed and aware of each one of the methods.