Welcome to Gaia! ::

My partner wants to have children with me one day (and I want to with him). But, the biggest fear he has, he says he's had it since he was very young, is that his wife would die in childbirth, so he would rather her have a C-section. confused
I told him, I didn't really like the idea of C-section, especially because the the scarring. But I also learned that natural birth can tear/rip the v****a and sometimes the skin between the a**s and v****a has to be cut... eek That REALLY scared me... So I'm just curious... What are the benefits/drawbacks of C-section vs. Natural, or vice-versa. I'm not looking to have kids within the next 5 or more years, but by then, I probably wont be on Gaia anymore to have people to talk to and ask questions about it.
So any stories or information on this would be very much appreciated. 3nodding

I had a c-section due to my pelvic bone not separating properly and not dilating and to fact my daughter in about who knows how long lost alot of fluid and I was told stopped growing at 35 weeks. So they decided to not wait for labor to progress and decided on the c-section and I agreed I was more worried about her then me.

After the c-section I was sore and felt miserable! And was told not to lift anything heavier then the baby for 6 weeks or more. I couldnt overly drug myself for the pain due to the fact I had to care for my daughter so i got depressed. Then at 3-4 weeks my body had a reaction to the under stitching and was trying to get rid of it by pushing it out of my body.. It was freaky but I called the doctor and cared for it and like she said it dried up and fell off and I healed again to it. The scaring isnt a big issue they cut along the bikini line the only thing Im have issues with is that now I have a baby belly not to big a deal.. But tell your boyfriend if he wants you to have a c-section so bad be prepared for the helping and baby taking care of.

My husband thought the same thing, but I ended up doing it natural. I'm alive! Natural just more...natural, to be simple.

But like Lorien said, a c-section is a major surgery and they really only do it if you have to have one. Trust me, go natural, or at least try to. When you two think about getting pregnant, talk to your OB about it. He/she can help you more.

The best thing you can do to minimize risk of death in childbirth are the following:

Plan to have your family between the age of 21 and 29. If you get pregnant earlier, you have a higher risk of problems during birth, and if you get pregnant after, you have higher risks of other complications (including a big baby due to gestational diabetes).

Have an OBGYN who will understand your birth plan. Let them know that you do not want intervention unless absolutely necessary. This cuts down on unnecessary procedures (such as induction), which can lead to danger for the baby and for you.

Have your baby in a hospital or birthing center where there are staff that can handle an unexpected complication.

Make sure to take care of your wounds after the birth. Infection is one of the hidden reasons that a lot of new moms can get sick.

I am currently about 20 weeks pregnant, and I've thought of the problems that could occur during birth. However, the risks are relatively low if I can keep myself from contracting gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia. If I had to give birth on the street tomorrow, birth WOULD be very difficult and dangerous, but with people who are trained and proper sanitation and emergency surgical intervention, the danger of birth is almost less than almost any other medical situation.

Tearing honestly isn't an issue. I got a 1st degree tear, and it barely hurt. You just have to make sure you clean correctly and not rush XP

Natural childbirth sounds scary, yes, but it's actually not as painful as I thought it would be. The morphine drip they give you to numb most of the contraction pains is very helpful XD