Before starting with the topic, let us make it very clear that there is absolutely no judgment here if you have had a cesarean or used epidurals to suppress pain during delivery. However, with many doctors increasingly suggesting a cesarean over normal delivery – assuming that women today would not want to go through the labor pain – we thought it would be beneficial to put together a list of advantages for normal delivery.
Normal delivery, or vaginal birth, is considered the safest and most natural way for a mother to bring her baby into the world. One of its key benefits is the quicker recovery time compared to a C-section. Mothers who experience normal delivery often have less postoperative pain and can resume daily activities faster. Additionally, vaginal birth reduces the risk of complications in future pregnancies by allowing the body to heal naturally. With fewer medical interventions, normal delivery provides a more positive birth experience, empowering mothers during labor. Read on to know about benefits of normal delivery.
10 Benefits Of Normal Delivery
Normal delivery, also known as vaginal birth, offers numerous benefits for both the mother and baby. It is a natural and safe method that promotes quicker recovery, less intervention, and long-term health advantages. Here are 10 key benefits of choosing normal delivery for your childbirth experience.
1. Quicker Recovery For The Mom
Vaginal delivery is a long, painful, physically and mentally grueling hardship for the mom – no doubt. However, very shortly after delivery, the moms will feel great and like their normal selves again. There are no major abdominal stitches that require healing, and the endorphins released during delivery will relieve the after-pain (1)
2. Shorter Hospital Stay For Mom And Baby
A direct consequence of quicker recovery of mom is the shorter hospital stay. Mom and baby can be discharged as early as 24 hours after delivery though it is not ideal to discharge them before 48 hours (2). This is great economically, especially when considered alongside the fact that the cost of normal delivery is often Rs. 10-20k less than C-sections
3. Baby is Fully Ready
One major advantage of normal delivery is that you are not intervening with your body’s and your baby’s plan. They are fully grown with matured organs. And this means fewer medical interventions later!
4. Mom and Baby Connect Better
When the mom’s body is left alone during labor without any external medication, it goes through many hormonal interplays that not only help the mother cope with the delivery but also help improve the immediate attachment between the mom and the baby. For instance, the high levels of oxytocin in a mom’s brain right after natural delivery are known to initiate maternal behaviors and help moms instantly connect with the newborn, their smell, and their touch (3).
Note: We are talking about the first couple of hours after delivery. This in no way suggests that moms who went through C-sections connect with their babies lesser.
5. Mom Can Breastfeed Better
Moms who were administered anesthesia to help in labor and moms who have had C-sections generally feel queasy and weaker right after delivery, making it difficult for them to physically hold the baby and breastfeed. This is a major boon for moms who have had a normal delivery. They will not only be feeling physically capable of sitting up and breastfeeding, but the hormones produced during labor will help in a better nursing experience.
6. Healthier for Baby
When the baby passes through the birth canal and vagina, they receive certain bacteria that then settle in their intestines. These protective bacteria play a great role in building the baby’s strong immune system (4).
7. No Risks From Surgery
While there are advantages to a C-section, at the end of the day, it is a major abdominal surgery, which comes with a long list of risks, including bleeding, infections in the stitches, unfavorable reaction to anesthesia, and scarring. A normal delivery is, hence, a much ‘less risky’ approach.
8. Fewer Complications in Future Pregnancies
Since there are no scars and stitches left in the uterine during a natural delivery, there would be no complications of any tearing in the uterus during subsequent pregnancies.
9. Less Respiratory Risks in Baby
When the baby passes through the birth canal, his thorax is compressed, expelling amniotic fluid from his lungs. This helps him breathe better once he is out in the world, causing fewer respiratory problems in the initial days.
10. Mom Feels Empowered
There is a sense of accomplishment and empowerment associated with normal delivery. Having gone through extreme pain and physically pushing a life out of one’s body gives a woman more confidence.
11. The Baby Can Latch Easily
In the case of normal delivery, the baby gets the full time inside the womb to fully develop all the organs and reflexes. Though the sucking reflex in a fetus starts after 32 weeks of pregnancy, with more time, the reflex gets stronger (5). The rooting reflex also has to play a part in latching. Their fully developed lungs and fully learned reflexes thus help normally delivered babies to easily latch on for breastfeeding.
12. Enhances Baby’s Brain Development
As the baby undergoes quite a stress during the vaginal delivery, their brain prompts to produce certain proteins and hormones at that time. This helps in their better brain functioning and brain development. But in a caesarean delivery, this does not happen, so the baby is devoid of the benefits of getting such early neurological functioning. Thus, normal delivery is supportive of faster cognitive development as well.
13. Help Escaping Unnecessary Disorders
In a c-section delivery, the mother has to take lots of medicines, including the epidural, to reduce the pain during the surgery. Besides the anaesthesia, antibiotics, antacids, and other varied medications can adversely affect the neurological and physical development of the baby in some cases. It may even lead to the extent of neurological disorders and autism (6). With a normal delivery, you can avoid such risks.
14. Allows you a Normal Diet
In the case of a c-section delivery, the mother has to follow a strict diet before and after the delivery. Doctors may not allow you to eat or even drink water for the next 24 hours after delivery. This leads to dehydration, hyponatremia, and ketosis, along with maternal stress. However, in normal deliveries, mothers can have water and any other healthy food whenever they want.
15. Prevents Post Pregnancy Depression
Post-pregnancy stress, detachment, and depression are becoming quite common among women. The two pain-relieving hormones that release during labor pain give the mother a happy and relaxed mind after delivery. This gives a sense of success, a great achievement, and a feeling of love and care among them. This happy moment often helps them fight against post-pregnancy depression.
To conclude, note that, irrespective of so many benefits, normal delivery is not without risks – especially with respect to sexual dysfunction for you and birth trauma for your child. However, the benefits usually justify the smaller probability of risks involved. Also, none of these benefits matters if you have a medical justification to have a C-section.
FAQ’s
1. Which Delivery Is Best For A Mother?
It is undoubtedly the vaginal delivery which is best for a woman in normal circumstances. This is the way nature chooses us to deliver. But in case of any complications, you need to opt for the C-section delivery.
2. What Are The Benefits Of Having A Natural Birth?
In natural delivery, though the labor pain seems unbearable, you will get a faster recovery once it is finally done. Another benefit is you will be able to breastfeed your baby immediately after birth.
3. Why Do Doctors Prefer Normal Delivery?
Doctors prefer normal delivery because this is the safest way both for the mother and for the baby in a normal scenario. There will be fewer complications and faster recovery after birth for the mother. Whereas the baby will get to expose with those good vaginal bacteria to strengthen the immune system.
References
- Jones L, Othman M, Dowswell T, Alfirevic Z, Gates S, Newburn M, Jordan S, Lavender T, Neilson JP. Pain management for women in labour: an overview of systematic reviews – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7132546/
- Bashar MA, Aggarwal AK, Pilania M. Factors causing early maternity discharge of uncomplicated normal delivery cases at government health facilities in Northern India: An exploratory study. J Educ Health Promot. 2020 Aug 31;9:198 – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7530429/
- Healthdirect , Oxytocin – https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/oxytocin
- Zhang C, Li L, Jin B, Xu X, Zuo X, Li Y, Li Z. The Effects of Delivery Mode on the Gut Microbiota and Health: State of Art. Front Microbiol – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8733716/
- Stanford Childrens , Newborn Reflexes – https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?
- Al-Zalabani AH, Al-Jabree AH, Zeidan ZA. Is cesarean section delivery associated with autism spectrum disorder? Neurosciences (Riyadh). 2019 Jan;24(1):11-15 – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8015537/
