The wonderful news that you are pregnant brings a lot of joy to you and your family, but at the same time, you are filled with a lot of insecurities and apprehensions. Motherhood is a wonderful journey that a woman experiences for over 9 months. For deciding the mode of delivery the woman should have been careful throughout her pregnancy.
Some people are comfortable with a C-section, and some are more comfortable with normal delivery excluding all medical emergencies. There are pros and cons for both modes of delivery (1). In this article we have extensively discussed in detail how to avoid c-sections, what to do to have a normal delivery, and how to stay active.
8 Useful Tips To Avoid A C Section
There is no argument about the fact that vaginal delivery is the best way to deliver your baby. So read on to find out some simple tips that will help you to avoid a C section.
1. Select Your Doctor Carefully
Many doctors prefer a C-section as it is much more convenient for them. So you must pick your gynecologist wisely (2).
- Check your doctor’s philosophy on caesareans and their Caesarean rate
- Talk and get all your doubts cleared before you select your doctor
- You need to find a doctor whom you are most comfortable with and one who will respect your wishes and whom you completely trust
2. Labor At Home As Long As Possible Before Going To The Hospital
Being at home as long as possible also allows the pregnant woman to access familiar ways of coping with discomfort. This includes lying in her bed, taking a bath in her shower, taking a walk in her garden or neighborhood, and consuming her favorite high-nutrition food.(3)
In addition to this, it is seen that if a mother waits longer at home before getting to her birthplace of choice, she is less likely to experience unnecessary interventions which can ultimately lead to a C- section. So do not go to the hospital until you are in active labor.
3. Remaining Stress-free
It is very common to feel stressed through your pregnancy period. However, you must try to calm your mind and remain stress-free as much as possible. Stress can play havoc and even turn a normal delivery into a C section if you are unable to control it (4).
To control stress you need to:
- Try meditating as it really helps to calm yourself and get rid of any unnecessary fears
- Listening to music helps to relieve a lot of stress
- Visualization techniques are also quite effective in keeping stress at bay
4. Breathing Right
Although you may not realize the importance of breathing, this is something that can even help your labor become so much easier thereby avoiding C-sections (5).
Given below are some of the breathing techniques you need to practice during labor:
- Shallow breathing
- Breathing from your stomach
- Breathing right from your chest
- Alternating shallow and deep breathing
[Read: Useful Breathing Techniques For Easing Labor]
5. Hiring a Doula
It has been found that women who hired a doula had 40 percent lesser chances of a C- section. A doula does not deliver the baby but helps the pregnant woman by ensuring that the delivery happens the way the mother wants.(6)
She provides much-required continuous delivery support by alternating positions and putting the pregnant woman in the best position for delivery, she makes suggestions and advocates on behalf of the pregnant woman just in case the mom-to-be is too distracted or delirious to make decisions herself
6. Ensuring Healthy Weight Gain
Although you are sure to add a few kilos as your pregnancy progresses, it is important to ensure that you do keep a tab on what you are eating and not put on too much weight. This is because overweight women find it extremely difficult to have a normal delivery, thus increasing the chances of C- C-section (7).
Being obese leads to:
- Difficulty in monitoring the fetus during delivery
- The baby tends to be big making normal delivery quite difficult
7. Stay Active
Naturally, pregnancy is quite a difficult phase and all you want to do is sleep and eat. However, if you want to avert a C-section, it becomes imperative that you are mobile and you need to exercise as much as you can during this period. Keeping active during pregnancy helps to avoid C-sections. (8)
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- You also require exercises that will make your thigh and pelvic muscles stronger and make it easier for a vaginal delivery
- Naturally, pregnancy is quite a difficult phase and all you want to do is sleep and eat. However, if you want to avert a C-section, it becomes imperative that you are mobile and you need to exercise as much as you can during this period. Keeping active during pregnancy helps to avoid C-sections. (9)
8. Avoid Induction Of Labor
Getting induced increases your chances of having a C-section by around 40 percent. This is because the cervix is not yet completely ready for childbirth and getting induced means forcing a process that is not yet ready to begin. So apart from a medical emergency, make sure that you wait till around 41 weeks before getting induced to increase your chances of having a normal delivery
As we described in detail about the ways to improve the chances of normal delivery, I would like to decide according to the doctor’s advice. Because the decision of c-section or normal delivery depends on person to person. These decisions are better if taken by the doctors. Staying healthy and staying active throughout the pregnancy helps the woman to have her chances more towards normal delivery. (10)
FAQ’s
1. How Can I Avoid A C-Section And Have a Normal Delivery?
The pregnant woman has to be active throughout the pregnancy and can take exercise classes for pregnant women. This will not increase the chances of normal delivery.
2. How Can I Increase My Chances Of Normal Delivery?
The chances of normal delivery are increased by doing activity in the last trimester. Can join exercise classes which are designated for pregnant women.
3. What To Avoid For Normal Delivery?
In late pregnancy, the woman should exercise which will help in normal delivery. Avoid bed rest if it’s not medically indicated.
4. How To Get Normal Delivery Fast?
There are no specific ways to get normal delivery fast. The process of labor takes its own course according to the position of the baby.
5. Does Walking Prevent C-Section?
Walking can help in preventing c-sections. But these are not proven facts to prevent c-sections.
6. Which Exercises Help To Prevent C-Sections?
Doing squats, Lamaze classes, education classes, and Yoga helps a lot during normal birth. Best rest should be avoided.
7. How To Avoid A C-Section A Second Time?
The second c-section is decided by the doctor after checking everything that the trial for normal delivery can be given or not. If it includes risk to either the mother or the child, c C-section is the best option.
References
- Torkan, B., Parsay, S., Lamyian, M. et al. Postnatal quality of life in women after normal vaginal delivery and caesarean section. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 9, 4 (2009). – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2393-9-4#
- LAVIN, JUSTIN P. MD; STEPHENS, ROBERT J. MD; MIODOVNIK, MENACHEM MD; BARDEN, TOM P. MD. Vaginal Delivery in Patients with a Prior Cesarean Section. Obstetrics & Gynecology 59(2):p 135-148, February 1982. – https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/abstract/1982/02000/
- Prosser, S.J., Barnett, A.G. & Miller, Y.D. Factors promoting or inhibiting normal birth. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18, 241 (2018) – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12884-018-1871-5#:~
- Butler, M.M. Exploring the strategies that midwives in British Columbia use to promote normal birth. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 17, 168 (2017). – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12884-017-1323-7#:~
- Heim MA, Makuch MY. Breathing Techniques During Labor: A Multinational Narrative Review of Efficacy. J Perinat Educ. 2023 Jan – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9822559/#
- Kennedy, H.P. and Shannon, M.T. (2004), Keeping Birth Normal: Research Findings on Midwifery Care During Childbirth. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0884217504268971#
- Abdolhalim Rajabi, Najmeh Maharlouei, Abbas Rezaianzadeh, Kamran B. Lankarani, Firooz Esmaeilzadeh, Ali Gholami, Kamyar Mansori,Physical activities (exercises or choreses) during pregnancy and mode of delivery in nulliparous women: A prospective cohort study,Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Volume 57, Issue 1 – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455917302978# - Poyatos-León R, García-Hermoso A, Sanabria-Martínez G, Álvarez-Bueno C, Sánchez-López M, Martínez-Vizcaíno V. Effects of exercise during pregnancy on mode of delivery: a meta-analysis. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2015 – https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aogs.12675#
- Nielsen, Emilie Nor, Andersen, Per Kragh, Hegaard, Hanne Kristine, Juhl, Mette, Mode of Delivery according to Leisure Time Physical Activity before and during Pregnancy: A Multicenter Cohort Study of Low-Risk Women, Journal of Pregnancy, 2017 – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2017/6209605#
- Mark A Klebanoff, Patricia H Shiono, J. Christopher Carey,The effect of physical activity during pregnancy on preterm delivery and birth weight, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 163, Issue 5, Part 1, 1990- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0002937890906046#
