The increase in the rate of cesarean deliveries means that any woman who is pregnant has more than a one in four chance of having her baby by cesarean. In some cases it can be possible to avoid a cesarean, if you really want to have a vaginal birth.
Key Factors
There are some factors that can affect your chances of having a vaginal delivery versus a cesarean:
- Selection of health care provider and their philosophy on cesarean delivery
- Birth setting
- Labor support availability
- Access to medical interventions
Ways to Avoid a Cesarean:
- Ensure your health care provider and chosen birth setting has low rates of medical intervention
- Inquire as to your health care provider’s philosophy on cesareans
- Put together a flexible birth plan and cover it off with your health care provider
- Learn as much as you can about birth, take classes and read books
- Hire a doula or other labor support (this gives you a 26% less chance of having a cesarean)
- Learn natural pain management techniques
- Find out how long you can wait to go to the hospital once labor begins (a long hospital labor increases chances of cesarean)
- Try to avoid continuous fetal monitoring, as it increases chances of cesarean by 30%
- Try to avoid an epidural if you can
- Learn methods to turn a breech baby
- Try to avoid an induced labor
- Learn all the different labor positions and find a few that help you progress labor
