The decision between a normal delivery and caesarean is much more complex than for what it's given credit.
A normal delivery is the natural way to go. It ends in a healthier mom and baby when everything goes right. And usually everything does go right.
But when it goes wrong, boy does it go wrong. When we see complicated normal deliveries, it feels much worse than a simple caesarean section. When things have been pushed too far to deliver normally, things get way, way worse than they should.
I won't speak about the different ways things can go bad, but it at such times, it always feels like the situation would be much better if a Caesarean was simply done.
Some moms end up with two cuts- an episiotomy given as a result of persistent efforts towards a normal delivery-- and a lower transverse abdominal scar given as a result of the ultimate inevitable fate, a Caesarean section.
So why not opt for a Caesarean to begin with?
Because Caesareans cause a multitude of ill effects and you're sure to have at least a couple of them. Your odds are better trying for something more natural and having surgery as only an option to fall back upon- IF NECESSARY.
There's no advantage in directly opting for a surgery as it seems "easier", because will definitely have ever-lasting effects on your body. Most of the worst disadvantages of a Caesarean creep up on you only after a few days, weeks, months or years.
So how do you choose between the two? This is a very complicated decision that will (and should) keep changing based on factors like the other medical illnesses you have, how old you are, how tall you are, how spacious your pelvis feels, how big your baby is, how your body responds to medications given for inducing labour, how the baby's heart beat responds to labour itself -- and so many more. The best thing I can tell you to do is find a ObGyn that you trust and follow their advice. Pregnancy itself is a very dynamic and high risk condition. Labour can bring so, so many surprises or go wrong in so many ways. And everything that does, usually goes wrong in just a few seconds or minutes.
But be assured-- nothing usually goes wrong, so don't worry. Most of these things that can go wrong will be recognised at a very early stage and managed by your ObGyn pretty quick.
Keep an open mind. Be flexible with your decision and don't get disappointed no matter what happens. A healthy baby and healthy mother are more important than the means you take to get them. And once you have that, be grateful for how lucky you are.
