Vaginal or Cesarean Section
Every woman, naturally, plans on a vaginal delivery. Rarely is there the dream of delivering by an open incision in your abdomen, called a cesarean section(c-section), but it does happen in about 33% of deliveries. Some women know ahead of time that they will deliver via c-section, others have to have urgent or emergent deliveries via c-section. So the best way is to prepare for both the expected and the unexpected.
The goal is always healthy mom, healthy baby so as practitioners they will do what is neccessary despite your plans to ensure this goal.
Vaginal delivery: What to expect
During a vaginal delivery, the labor will be allowed to continue with contractions approximately every 2-3 minutes until your cervix is dilated to 10 or completely dilated. In first time moms, this is where if you have the epidural, the urge to push is lost, so pushing may or may not commence at this point. Typical pushing for a first time mom is 1-3 hours, with some only pushing 30 mins and others 4 hours. Some OB/GYN's prefer their patients to "labor down",. This is a term refered to when allowing a mother who has never delivered vaginally before or who's baby is still higher in the pelvis, time to allow the uterus to do the pushing work. This is a very successful method in decreasing pushing times, but can only be allowed if the fetal heart rate is looking good and the mother can tolerate.
Other factors to note: those who are unmedicated will be allowed to push with the urge their body involuntarily gives. This does usually equate to short pushing times as well. Also for both epidural and unmedicated labor, rest is very import. Even though you are excited to bring your little one into the world(even grandparents too!), it is very important to rest when you can, labor can be long and pushing is very taxing. Take the nurse's advice, rest, you'll thank her later!
Cesarean section: What to Expect
If you are aware, prior to your delivery, that you will be having a c-section then you have had time to prepare. Reasons for a scheduled c-section include: a breech baby(baby butt or feet down in pelvis), placenta previa(placenta partially or fully covering the cervix), or a previous c-section.(Although some practitioners do allow VBACs~Vaginal Birth After a C-section~check first with your hospital and practitioner to see if this is a possibility). The scheduled c-sections run very smoothly. You arrived at the hospital, you are prepped for surgery, then taken back to an OR to delivery your baby. Your recovery period(the period immediately following delivery) is the same as for a vaginal delivery but the post partum period of your hospital stay is longer and a bit different. Due to the spinal anesthesia versus the epidural, you will be in bed for at least 12 hours, have a catheter, and require a little closer monitoring. The rest of the recovery after the intial 12-24 hours, runs the same as a vaginal delivery.
Now should you have to have an urgent or emergent c-section, that will flow a bit different. These c-sections can occur due to fetal intolerance to labor(a decreased heart rate), fetal malposition(the baby is just not engaged in the right way to allow for vaginal delivery) or a small pelvis/big baby. Urgent c-sections occur when the baby is not in immediate trouble but needs to be delivered by c-section. An emergent c-section occurs when the baby or mother is danger of compromise. The urgent c-sections usually run quickly and once the baby is delivered, go smoothly. Emergent c-sections happen very quickly, and may seem disorganized, but that is due to the emergent nature of the delivery, and your care team has done this thousands of times, so trust in them, do your part to cooperate because again, the goal is always healthy mom, healthy baby. The recovery period for all c-sections are the same. Whether they are scheduled, urgent, or emergent you will be closely monitored to ensure you and your baby are stable.