30 Dec, 2025
Natural Delivery Vs C Section (Normal Delivery Or C section Which Is Better?)
Pregnancy ,

I could vividly remember in highschool, the first time we had the argument of natural delivery vs c section or let’s put it this way, an argument about normal delivery or c section which is better? Looking back now, I smile and wonder how we knew so much at that age.

I have always felt like there’s some kind of buzz surrounding c section. You know that feeling of learning what is good and bad from people’s countenance and remarks whether they are condescending or uplifting when growing up in the society.

It wasn’t until I joined the nursing profession and went on different obstetrics postings that things became clearer to me, why it seemed like too much emphasis is placed on it, the Hebrew women thing and the general perception.

Normal Delivery Or C section Which Is Better?

Short Answer: None is better. In reasoning natural delivery vs c section, the decision on which is better is highly subjective and varies from person to person based on wants and their perspective, religion, denomination and depth of knowledge. I know this because I would go on to ask my female classmates, which they would consider better and for themselves. It was a grapple of mixed responses. While many chose c-section, several chose vaginal delivery, each with clear reasons.

Thus, these reasons of theirs has made it clearer to me that each comes with its benefits/advantages and disadvantages and that’s what I intend to share with you for the rest of this article.

Normal Delivery

This is more of what is kinda considered ‘normal’ for some weird reasons. Perhaps because of where I come from. I have been in several prayer gatherings, and there’s always this line I get hit with when women make their requests — ‘To deliver like Hebrew women’. I was then forced to refer back to history and why Hebrew women are used as a point of contact and here’s what I found out.

Biblically, during the reign of Pharoah, when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. King Pharoah ordered the midwives to kill every Hebrew male child at birth. This, the midwives did not do and when Pharoah eventually found out and asked why, the midwives told him that the Hebrew women are vigorous and rough during labor and by the time they must have gotten to the scene, most of them had already delivered.

This narrative has evolved through time to mean different things and given different interpretations culturally. It was used as point of contact to declare speed: that the labor will be so fast the “midwife” (or doctor) barely has time to get there. strength: that the mother will be “vigorous” or “lively” rather than exhausted or weak and lastly, Vaginal Delivery: I would learn that just as I had concluded growing up, it is used specifically to pray against a Cesarean section (C-section), which some mistakenly view as a sign of weakness or weak faith.

READ MORE: The 4 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound: What They Are Really Looking For (A Student Nurse’s Inside Look)

Benefits of Natural Birth vs C section

Natural Birth Is Cheaper

When analyzing the benefits of natural birth vs c section, cost should top your list. As opposed to c section, most natural deliveries can be hundred percent overseen and handled by nurse midwives unless when there is complication, only then can the expertise of an obstetrician be sought for.

Because normal delivery basically involves analyzing contractions and assessing for full dilatation, breaking of water bag and then pushing, it’s generally cheaper when compared to the expertise and dexterity of an obstetrician, the meticulousness of an anaesthetist and every other thing that is involved during a c section.

No Indelible Mark

This is one of the reasons my class girls gave as a backing to their choice. Girls tend to be obsessed with their skin, looks, and are more so, perfectionists. One of them would say to me, ‘aside seeing the linear nigra which is natural, I wouldn’t want to see any other line or mark on my body with or without a mirror.

With c sections, a horizontal or vertical line cut is made below your belly button which is later sutured after the baby has been taken out. I have personally seen a lady with a letter T shape mark on her belly with an obstetrics history of gravida 2, para 2, alive 2 (ie. 2 times pregnant, 2 birthed, 2 alive). It appeared she was in the hospital for her third delivery and the T shape was obliviously made from previous c sections she had done, one cut vertically and the other, horizontally..

It Takes A Shorter Time To Recover From

This is a conclusion from the observations I made. In one of the hospitals that I did my experience, there are three wards that constitutes the maternity; the spontaneous vaginal delivery ward, the cesarean section ward and the pre-natal ward.

The SVD ward clears out and empties in three days max. The c section ward on the other hand has its patients remain for several days as they get watched closely and have their cut wound managed by frequent dressing.

Perceived Prestige/Bragging Rights

I studied one of the final year projects submitted by a senior student who graduated in 2024. Her project topic read, ‘Perception of c section as a choice of delivery among third year students of school A’. She noted that in the questionnaire she sent out which had the close ended question, ‘ for which of the reasons below, will you chose natural birth over c section?’, sixty percent of her respondents chose stereotype as their major reason.

It goes to show and reflect how many other women think beyond the school block. I used the word ‘perceived’ because I do not concur to the prestige thing as other many people don’t as well. They say delivery through natural birth makes you a full woman and shows your strength in endurance. However, I would argue that it takes some gut, clenched fist, emotional stability and courage to walk into that operating room for a c section.

C-section

Look, I know I haven’t gone far in the medical world but I have witnessed not one, not two but three different cesarean sections in the operating room and I can confidently tell you this. Forget the hype, ignore the buzz, they only make it sound fearful.

It begins with anesthesia given at the spine, horizontal or vertical incision made below belly button, baby removed, placenta removed and then suturing layers. But to really understand what it’s like, read my story about the first time I saw it happen.

Benefits Of C Section vs Normal Delivery

Image shows a woman in pains holding her head torn between normal delivery or C Section which is better and which should she go for

You Trim Down On Labour Pains

Most women who tilt to c sections are perhaps trying to avoid the pain they experienced in their previous vaginal delivery/deliveries. Most of them I have met have long made that decision in their homes such that the instant they enter the maternity, they begin to mention c section to your ears.

Once in the operating room, you are given a regional anaesthesia through the spine that numbs all the nerves from your abdomen down to your legs. You will feel absolutely nothing as the obstetrician works on you from start to finish.

Your Baby Arrives Quicker

Because you wouldn’t have to wait to achieve full cervical dilatation (opening of the cervix) or wait several hours till the baby fully pushes down to the pelvis, a lot of time is saved with c section. The hours that is wasted trying to induce contraction, adhering to the nurse’s request of walking around, having an enema etc. will have been more than enough to conduct two c-sections.

Everything happens in a jiffy as if it never happened. No pushing stress, no shenanigans. You almost don’t have to break a sweat or let out a loud scream.

It Keeps You Alive

Perhaps, a lot didn’t know that c section is kind of used as a last resort to keep the mother or the baby alive or both. Conditions such as breech presentations, maternal diabetes with a baby estimated to have a fetal weight of about 4.5kg (with that size, it’s almost impossible to deliver vaginally), placenta praevia (where the placenta lies at the door of the cervix; therefore birthing the placenta first places the baby in great danger), placenta abruptio, previous perineal tear, shoulder dystocia etc. can leave a woman no option but to yield/settle for c section.

Critical Perspectives I Want You To Note

While reasoning natural delivery vs c section, relying solely on the “Hebrew woman” narrative can sometimes lead women to refuse necessary medical interventions (like C-sections) during emergencies, which can be dangerous for both mother and child. Unfortunately, I had to witness one, an ardent christian whose denomination propose, teach and live by the Hebrew women narrative. Her cervix was on and off, no significant progress was recorded after 24 hours. Over time, her baby entered the phase of fetal respiratory distress (TTN) and yet, this christian woman still refused c section even when it was labelled out clearly to her, what was at stake.

I reiterate again, none is better than the other. That one is better than the other is highly subjective and based on choice and want. Just as apples against oranges, both are fruits and deliver vitamin, one will have its back peeled with a knife before it is eaten, the other can be bitten on and chewed right away.

FAQ: Normal Delivery Or C Section Which Is More Painful?

This one is kind of debatable and controversial. Well, I can beat my chest and tell you that normal delivery/natural delivery is very much more painful than c section. For the first time ever, I was brought to tears by someone’s condition who was not necessarily a family. I walked into the labor room and saw her crawling in and around the room in withering pain and total anguish, her face red and wet with her own tears. Our eyes met and she waved her head in hopelessness, muffling a cry.

Image showing a woman in labor torn between natural delivery vs c section

With c section, you get started with anaesthesia which numbs from your abdomen down to your legs. You feel absolutely nothing from start to finish. No pleasure, no pain from incision to suturing. Nevertheless, people might want to argue about time when you are out of the operating room. Yes, the operation site may have to hurt afterwards and onwards but not like anything compared to active labor/vaginal delivery.

READ MORE: How To Know That Labor Is Near (My 5 Sure Signs That Labour Is Coming Soon)

Kalisia
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