Types Of Delivery: What To Expect From Different Childbirth Options

Pregnancy is a beautiful experience! The ability to nurture and bring a little human into this world is truly magical. Yet, as the journey progresses, one of the most anticipated stages for most moms-to-be is preparing for childbirth. But as the due date approaches, it also becomes essential for you & your partner to talk to your doctor about the different types of delivery options. Understanding each option thoroughly can help you make the choice that’s best for both you and your baby.

This blog will help you explore all the different types of birth and delivery options along with their pros & cons. So keep reading!

What Are The Types Of Delivery Methods?

If you’re anxious about giving birth, you might find relief knowing that there’s a wide array of delivery options available nowadays. And you & your doctor can narrow down the most suitable option, depending on your condition & comfort level.

The different types of childbirth & delivery options are:¹

• Vaginal delivery
• Assisted vaginal delivery (vacuum or forceps)
• C-section (Caesarean birth)
• VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean)

What Type Of Delivery Is Best?

For most women without any complications, a normal or vaginal delivery is the safest option for childbirth.¹ It has the following benefits:²

• Faster recovery
• Lower risk of internal uterine scarring
• Lower risk of needing a blood transfusion
• Safest option for baby
• Lower risk for respiratory problems in baby
• Stronger immune system in babies
• Easier lactation and breastfeeding

Vaginal Delivery

In a vaginal delivery, women give birth to babies through the vagina. It’s generally the safest and most preferred way of giving birth and has several advantages over other methods as mentioned earlier. This usually occurs in women who are full-term (between the 37th & 42nd week of pregnancy).^{1 3} Vaginal delivery is of two types:¹ 

• Spontaneous: In spontaneous vaginal delivery, childbirth happens on its own without any external support (drugs, etc).
• Induced: In an induced vaginal delivery, childbirth happens with the help of certain labour-inducing drugs that soften & dilate the cervix (lower end of the uterus).

What Happens If You Don’t Push During A Vaginal Delivery?

Your doctor would likely ask you to start pushing during labour, once your cervix dilates & the contractions start. And while each childbirth is different, the inability to push at the right time might lead to certain complications such as:¹ 

• Infection
• Bleeding 
• Damage to your pelvis

Assisted Vaginal Delivery

In this type of delivery, the baby is born through the vagina with the help of certain tools like forceps or a vacuum device. An assisted vaginal delivery occurs in the following circumstances:¹ 

• When the labour gets prolonged
• When the labour isn’t progressing
• When the mother becomes too tired to continue pushing
• When the mother or baby starts showing signs of distress

What Are Examples Of Assisted Deliveries?

An assisted vaginal delivery is of two types:¹ 

• Forceps delivery: Forceps are tongs-like tools. These are used by doctors to get hold of the baby’s head & pull it out from the birth canal.
• Vacuum extraction delivery: As the name suggests, in the vacuum extraction delivery, the doctors use suction from a vacuum device to help the mother push her baby out.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Assisted Vaginal Delivery

This type of delivery method is only used when certain conditions (as mentioned above) are met—and when your doctor feels that it’s in the best interest of you & your baby. But it comes with its own risks:⁴

• Risk of injury to the mother’s vagina & surrounding regions
• Risk of injury to baby’s head or eyes, bleeding inside the skull, or damage to nerves

That said, let’s understand what a C-section is.

What Is A C-Section?

According to some historical anecdotes, the term C-section (caesarean section) originated from the birth of Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor who was surgically removed from his mother’s womb.⁵ A C-section is a surgical procedure for childbirth where the doctor makes a cut in the mother’s abdomen to bring out the baby. The procedure can be pre-planned or sometimes unplanned due to sudden complications during delivery.¹

Risks Of C-Section Deliveries

There are certain risks associated with C-section deliveries. These include:¹

• Infection
• Blood loss
• Need for blood transfusion
• Embolism (A blood clot that breaks off and enters the bloodstream)
• Injury to the bowel or bladder
• Longer recovery and longer hospital stay
• Abdominal adhesions (bands of scar tissue that cause organs to stick together)

Benefits Of C-Section Deliveries

While a C-section does carry risk, just like any other surgical procedure, it also has a few advantages such as:¹

• Flexibility to choose due date
• Lower risk of trauma to baby
• Less risk of your baby being oxygen-deprived
• Lower risk of incontinence or sexual dysfunction

Natural Delivery vs. C-Section: A Candid Conversation About Childbirth Choices

What Is A VBAC?

VBAC stands for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. When you’ve had a previous delivery via a C-Section, it might make it difficult for you to have your next baby through a normal delivery. That’s because the previous cut that was made & stitched during your C-Section might tear open under the pressure of labour. Nevertheless, a VBAC might be possible when:¹

• Your doctor made a low transverse incision during your caesarean (the usual way unless done in a hurry)
• You don’t have other uterine abnormalities
• You’ve had a prior vaginal delivery
• You haven’t had a previous uterine rupture

Advantages & Disadvantages Of VBAC

VBAC might have several advantages for you & your baby. Just like the normal vaginal birth, it involves:⁶

• No surgery
• No surgical complications
• Faster recovery
• No risks of multiple caesarean deliveries

But it’s also important to be aware of its disadvantages & risks which include:

• More complications in case the attempt of vaginal birth fails
• Uterine rupture

What Else Should I Know About Delivery?

As a pregnant woman, it’s important to familiarise yourself with a few other relevant terms. You need to know about them in case you want to discuss them with your doctor.

Water Delivery

In this type of delivery, a woman gives birth to her baby in a tub filled with warm water. This type of delivery is considered less stressful for the mother & gentler for her baby.⁷

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Water Delivery

Water delivery has several advantages for the mother & her baby. The benefits for the mother include:⁷

• Soothing, comforting & relaxing experience
• Lesser pain
• More sense of privacy
• Increased energy levels
• Free movement, more efficient uterine contractions and improved blood circulation 
• Regulated high blood pressure
• Relaxed perineum (area between anus & genitals)

The benefits for the baby include:⁷

• Lower stress
• Sense of security
• More Oxygen

However, water birth also has certain disadvantages such as:⁷

• Theoretical risk of water entering into the mother’s bloodstream
• Risk of water aspiration in the baby (accidental entry of water into the lungs)
• Risk of umbilical cord snapping

Lamaze Technique

This is a type of conscious relaxation and controlled breathing technique that relaxes mothers during delivery. This in turn reduces their perception of pain and the need for additional drugs during childbirth.⁸

Bradley Method

In this method, women need a dark, quiet environment, physical comfort, controlled breathing, sleep-like eyes, and a supporter (her partner). The partner plays the role of a coach, helping the woman control her reactions, guiding her through the process & alleviating her mental & physical pain. This method minimises the need for medical interventions.⁹

Episiotomy

This is the medical term given to a surgical cut made to widen your vagina and help in delivery. The method allows the baby’s head to pass more easily through the vagina. Only a few women need episiotomy.¹

Amniotomy

It’s the process of artificially rupturing the amniotic sac to induce labour or perform certain internal checkups.¹

Foetal Monitoring

This is the process of watching and monitoring the baby’s heart rate and performance during labour.¹

Final Words

Understanding the different types of delivery options can help you feel more prepared and confident about what to expect on your due date. And it can also help you plan out your big day in a better way. But amidst all this preparation, don’t forget the most important one—and that is to safeguard your baby’s health from Day 1. We’re talking about cord blood banking—a simple, painless technique of preserving your baby’s cord blood stem cells at birth with LifeCell, which can be used to treat 80+ deadly diseases in the future.

To understand this better, get in touch with our experts today! Call 18002665533 to book a free consultation.

FAQs

1. Is Childbirth Painful?

Yes, childbirth is a painful experience but the pain is manageable.¹⁰

2. Which Type Of Delivery Is Most Painful?

Deciding on which type of delivery is the most painful one will depend on multiple factors like the ease of recovery, use of pain medications, etc.¹

3. What Are The 4 Main Types Of Delivery Methods?

The 4 main types of delivery methods are:¹

• Vaginal delivery
• Assisted vaginal delivery (vacuum or forceps)
• C-section (Caesarean birth)
• VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean)

4. Which Type Of Delivery Is The Safest?

A vaginal delivery is generally the safest type of delivery method.¹

5. What Are The Three Stages Of A Vaginal Delivery?

The three stages of a vaginal delivery are labour, birth and delivering the placenta.¹