For further information, please contact Melissa Maimann at Essential Birth Consulting.
Comparing the quality of life in women after normal delivery and cesarean section.
A study suggests that vaginal delivery might lead to a better postnatal quality of life than cesarean delivery, especially with regards to physical health. Significant differences were found for vitality, mental health and physical functioning … The findings indicate that in the short term, vaginal delivery might be preventive of postnatal depression.
I’m not surprised by these findings. Caesarean is major surgery; having a major operation and then having to care for a new baby must be a very stressful experience. Other research has shoen that operative births are more likely to leave a woman traumatised following her birth. Continuity of midwifery care is known to reduce the need for caesarean.