Vaginal birth: your options
A vaginal birth is usually the safest way for your baby to be born.
But even if you’re planning a vaginal birth, it’s good to find out about giving birth by caesarean section. You might need a planned caesarean birth because of health problems or pregnancy complications like placenta praevia. Unplanned (emergency) caesarean births can happen when there are problems during labour.
It’s also good to talk with your midwife or doctor about your health, your baby’s health, and the kind of birth you’d prefer. Supportive health professionals will be open to discussing your birth options with you.
Common advantages of vaginal birth
Vaginal birth experiences vary a lot, but when you have a vaginal birth, you generally:
- are less likely to need to go back to hospital in the weeks after birth
- have less need for strong pain relief after birth
- recover more quickly from labour and birth
- have a better chance of starting to breastfeed your baby straight away
- are more likely to cuddle your baby and have skin-to-skin contact straight after birth
- are less likely to have medical problems in future pregnancies
- are more physically able to care for your baby (and other children) soon after birth.
Babies born by vaginal birth are less likely to need time in a special care nursery or neonatal intensive care unit.
Also, babies born vaginally tend to develop stronger immune systems and are less likely to have allergies than babies born by caesarean section. This is thought to be because of hormones released during vaginal birth and the important bacteria babies get through vaginal birth.
If you’ve had a caesarean birth and become pregnant again, you can usually try for a vaginal birth. This is commonly called a vaginal birth after caesarean or VBAC. Ask your midwife or doctor about whether VBAC is an option for you.
Increasing your chances of vaginal birth
Delivering your baby vaginally depends on many things, including your health, your baby’s health and what happens during labour. It’s always a good idea to talk with your health professionals about your birth options.
There are also a few things you can do to increase your chances of having a vaginal birth.
Aim for a healthy pregnancy
Good health boosts your chances of vaginal birth.
Healthy food and physical activity during pregnancy helps you stay fit and well. Healthy weight gain during pregnancy also keeps you and your baby healthy.
Look for midwife-led continuity of care
You can increase your chances of vaginal birth by getting your maternity care from one midwife or a small group of midwives who look after you through your whole pregnancy, labour and birth. This is called ‘midwife-led continuity of care’.
Have support people with you
You’re more likely to have a vaginal birth if you have continuous one-to-one labour support from people you feel comfortable with. This might be your partner or a family member, friend, midwife or doula.
Stay active and upright during labour
In the birthing suite, staying active and using upright positions might help your labour to progress, which might improve your chances of vaginal birth. This is because gravity helps move your baby down and relaxes your muscles. This means your baby can move through the birth canal more easily.
Mats, beanbags, cushions or birth balls might help you find comfortable positions for labour.
Create a calm and positive birth environment
Your birth environment can affect how you labour and give birth to your baby. The ideal labour environment is one where you:
- feel safe, calm and positive
- have access to pain relief
- have privacy
- feel secure and well supported.
With planning and preparation, you can usually create the environment you’d like in the hospital birthing suite or birth centre, or at home if you’re having a homebirth. For example, if you’re planning to give birth at a hospital or birth centre, you could bring aromatherapy, cushions, food, comfortable clothing, relaxing music or other things from home.
This kind of environment will help you stay calm during labour, which means you’re more likely to have a vaginal birth.
Using water during labour and birth – for example, a shower, bath or birth pool – can also improve your chances of vaginal birth.
Prepare for labour and birth
When you know what to expect during labour and birth, you’re more likely to feel in control and relaxed. Feeling this way might increase your chances of vaginal birth.
Antenatal classes help you prepare by giving you detailed information about labour, birth and more.
Writing a birth plan can also help you prepare for labour and birth. Your birth plan can include things like:
- the people you want at the birth
- your preferences for managing pain
- the things you want in the birth environment
- any procedures you’d like to avoid
- the person you want to cut the cord.
But keep in mind that your baby’s plan might be different from yours. Also, what you need and want might change on the day, so think of the birth plan as a guide and stay flexible.
Before labour, it’s a good idea to share your birth plan with the midwife or doctor who’ll be looking after you. This will help them understand your preferences and work with you to achieve them. You can also ask to have your plan added to your medical records.
Being calm during labour can increase the oxytocin in your blood. Oxytocin makes your uterus contract, so higher levels of oxytocin can mean better contractions during labour and a shorter labour. Staying calm can also decrease the adrenaline in your blood – adrenaline stops oxytocin from working.
Possible disadvantages of vaginal birth
If you have a vaginal birth, you might:
- need stitches if your vaginal opening is torn or you have an episiotomy
- need forceps or vacuum assistance so your baby can be born
- have an increased chance of incontinence or prolapse.
Rarely, you might have trouble giving birth to the shoulders of your baby if your baby is large or there are problems with your birth position or the position of your baby.
Sometimes when there are complications during vaginal birth, you might need to have an unplanned (emergency) caesarean birth. An unplanned caesarean can have more problems than a planned (elective) caesarean – for example, an increased chance of infection or risks from using a general anaesthetic.