I’ve had a C-section and vaginal birth. My first child was born vaginally after laboring for 30 hours and pushing for 3. My second child was breech and born via cesarean section.
Hours after my second child was born via cesarean, nurses were asking me a question few get to weigh in on: What’s worse – a natural birth or cesarean?
I wasn’t prepared for either birth. I took a birthing class, but no one takes a birthing class for your specific birth. Wouldn’t that be nice? I wasn’t mentally prepared to labor for 30 hours and push for three. Then, I wasn’t mentally prepared to have a C-section with my second as it was an emergency situation.
I’m not here to give you a straight answer on which experience was better or worse. Every single woman and every single labor and pregnancy is completely different. I am just here to tell you what I learned from both experiences.
My C-section wasn’t planned, so I was googling and texting like crazy while I waited in my hospital room for a surgeon to become available. Hopefully, this can prepare mothers for whatever labor may bring you.
Please note, I’m going to get very personal, and somewhat graphic below. But, knowledge is power, so keep that in mind when you’re preparing for whatever birth plan you are designing.
The process and pain of delivery
I started labor at home with my first and when we got to the hospital we started pain management. My epidural ran out in the last half hour of my 3-hour pushing marathon, and yes that was painful. But, as promised by the doctor, as soon as my baby was born there was a huge relief. No more pain, and now we had our baby. Of course, I had recovery at home and soreness, but I healed quickly – and faster than I thought I would.
Alternatively, my second child’s head was 100% circumference, so I was secretly happy for the C-section if I’m being completely honest in this space. It was frightening to walk into the operating room by myself, seeing those big scary machines and hunching over for the spinal tap. But, I got to talk to my husband the entire time and I only knew what was going on because a nurse was talking me through it. The staff was so amazing and very experienced, and that eased my nerves. The pain came after… more on that in the recovery section below.
Baby time after delivery
When my second child was born via C-section I didn’t get that instant skin-to-skin contact I got with my first. They wanted to monitor him more, so I also didn’t get to nurse as soon as I did with my first. The staff really tried their best to get baby and me together, but at that point, it was about his health.
C-Section v. Vaginal Birth Recovery
The doctors were very honest with me: recovery from a C-section is tough. There are also risks with surgery, and as a result, you have to stay a day longer in the hospital.
I was not prepared for how painful a C-section recovery would be. I remember after the morphine wore off, I had missed a dose of pain meds and I just lay in the hospital bed crying in pain.
I took some advice from other C-section moms and drank lots of water and got up to walk to the bathroom, even when it was so very painful. That really helped speed things along, so much that the nurses told me to slow down a bit.
It was also hard to slow down at home as you can’t lift anything heavier than your baby for a few weeks. Not to mention the juggling taking care of two kids required! For the first week, I didn’t move much from my pumping chair.
I didn’t want to list out the pros and cons of each option because, again, every labor is so unique. But, the bottom line is that both experiences were unexpected for me, and they both came with unique pain and recovery. They also came with two beautiful babies who when they are walking across the stage at graduation day, no one will know how they were fed as babies or how they were born. Both children were healthy and delivered safely, and I am so grateful for that.
If you have any questions about your labor, birth, or recovery, just ask your nurses or doctors. They were honest with me and, remember, that knowledge is power.
What was your experience with either a c-section or vaginal delivery?
