Most women around the globe relish in the thoughts of carrying their child and eventually birthing that baby, but very few are aware of what comes with pregnancy and childbirth itself and truth be told, this phase of every pregnancy is awe-inspiring, and in my opinion, a painting or even a picture will do justice in capturing this amazing moment in any woman’s life.
As a mother, I have experienced childbirth and have been opportune to speak to other mothers as well as professionals in this field who all have their own experience about this truly life-changing moment. There are three types of methods in birthing a child and with each, it is essential that once that baby is born, he or she is giving to the mother immediately to bond as not doing this could pose an entirely different issue much latter for the mother. During pregnancy, every mom to be is faced with the different choices regarding their pregnancy, labour and birth and these choices are largely influenced by personal opinion, previous history, medical or pregnancy issues and in most cases, your caregiver’s suggestion/preference. Without further ado, here is all you need to know about the different types of childbirth and delivery choices there are available.
Vaginal Birth: This type of childbirth is very common amongst mothers and can only be achieved when the cervix is fully dilated (about 10cm) and effective contractions present to either push the baby out (fetal ejection reflex) or helped by maternal pushing. this type of birth also comes with different choices of pain relief as let’s be honest, childbirth in itself can be painful, although this varies amongst different mothers. Pain relief available for this kind of childbirth includes; natural option such as aromatherapy, massage and water immersion, down to pharmacological options such as nitrous oxide gas, morphine and an epidural.
Benefits Of Vaginal Birth
- Need for pain relief after birth is reduced.
- The new mom stays a shorter while in the hospital
- Faster recovery period
- Much certain she will be able to be able to do skin to skin, delayed cord cutting and early breastfeeding.
- There will be a reduced chance of medical problems in future pregnancies.
Your healthcare provider may, however, decide to help with your vaginal birth should these be present during labour;
- Mother has been pushing for over 2 hours with no progress, is exhausted and can no longer continue to push.
- The baby begins to show signs of distress and needs to be born quickly.
- If the mother presents with extremely high blood pressure.
- Cannot properly push due to epidural.
2. Vacuum Assisted Delivery 
This type of delivery which requires a vacuum or forceps to help birth the baby. A vacuum extractor or ventouse consists is made of a plastic or metal cup, tubing and handle. this instrument is then attached firmly to the baby’s head by suction. Your healthcare provider attaches the ventouse after a vaginal exam. This will help determine that the mode of delivery is appropriate alongside the baby’s position. When the mother gets a contraction, her healthcare provider directs her to push while he or she gently pulls the handle of the device to provide traction and help birth the baby.
Benefits Of Vacuum Delivery
- There is a lesser chance of the mother getting a tear with the use of a ventouse than with forceps.
- Babies in distress, are born quickly and receive medical care fast with this method.
- Mothers who have their hearts set on vaginal birth gets their wish even with this instrument.
Risks Of A Vaccum Delivery
- Mothers may sustain tear or pelvic floor damage causing her to need an episiotomy.
- There is a higher failure rate than forceps.
- To be able to use a ventouse, the baby’s head must be low enough in the birth canal for vacuum to be attached.
- Pain relief such as local anaesthetic or an epidural may be needed.
- A small swelling can be left on the baby’s head (chignon)due to the use of a suction cup, but this will disappear in no time.
- The vacuum can also bruise the baby’s head (cephaleamatoma), which normally takes between 1-2 weeks to disappear. Also, the risk of jaundice in the baby may be increased and even a more serious complication; retinal bleeding can occur with the use of a vacuum.
- A pregnancy that isn’t up to 34weeks can’t use this form of delivery due to baby’s head being too soft.
Forceps: This comes into play when a vaginal delivery needs some assistance. ”Forceps consist of two metal spoons like blades that connect together to fit on either side of the baby’s head.” A mum in labour is given a vaginal exam laying down to help determine how the baby is positioned for the blades to be fitted correctly. Mothers are usually advised to take some sort of pain relief before this process is begun. Once the baby is in the right position with the forceps, the health care provider will rotate and/or pull the forceps when the mother is pushing during contractions.
Risks Of Forceps Assisted Delivery
- Baby’s face and head may be bruised, get bumps, marks and cuts due to the use of the instrument.
- The nerve on baby’s face may also be damaged.
- Bleeding on the brain may also occur
- Baby’s skull may also be fractured
- There may be some damages to mother’s vagina
- Episiotomy or tearing.
Caesarean Section 
This type of delivery method requires surgery. C.S, as it is popularly called, is a surgical procedure where a baby is removed by an obstetrician through an incision (cut) made in the mother’s abdominal and uterus wall. Although many women run from this method due to their phobia for surgeries, however, there are certain cases C.S is infact the safest option for the mother and/or baby. such cases include if the baby is in the transverse or breech position and placenta previa (placenta blocking cervix) is present. When a caesarean section is planned beforehand, the medical word for it is an elective caesarean. However, there are cases where C.S becomes unplanned and these are when complications develop during labour. Pain relief is also administered for this procedure and the use of epidural or a general anaesthetic comes to play here.
Risks Of A Caesarean Section
- The mother stays a while in the hospital
- Pain is present around the incision sites.
- Complications may arrive from the anaesthetic.
- Complications such as blood loss wound infection, DVT’s, organ damage may also occur from the incision made.
- Mother will need subsequent c – sections.
- Baby may need help with breathing.
- Skin to skin and breastfeeding may be delayed. Photo Credit: Getty
