Month six Q&A

Q: I’m a 25-year-old first time momto-be. I have been researching my birth options online and the vaginal birth has terrified me with regard to the trauma, the contractions, tearing of the vagina and the loosening of the pelvic floor muscles. I also have read about the pros and cons of having a c-section. Please explain the two birthing options. A: Tina answers: First of all you are making a mistake by looking on the internet that may not have the correct information. I urge you to stop surfing the net and terrifying yourself even further. If you can afford it, try to attend childbirth education classes to inform you properly of the risks and benefits of both vaginal and caesarean birth. Vaginal birth has a bad reputation, I agree, but not so much because it is vaginal birth – it is the way we do vaginal birth (flat on our backs, with eager use of painkilling drugs that cause us to have many interventions that are not absolutely necessary), that is actually the problem. Caesarean birth is not without risks either. The risk of infection is higher and you are having major abdominal surgery (same as for a hysterectomy) that will take at least four weeks to recover from. I advise you to download this free booklet from the internet (it is one I approve of) for the real facts surrounding vaginal and caesarean birth. The booklet is titled “What Every Pregnant Woman Needs To Know About Cesarean Birth” – childbirthconnection.org