This statistic includes both medically necessary and elective c-sections.
"Is it worth the healing time to miss out on the experience of a vaginal birth?"
These are fair questions & you should educate yourself before making a decision for you & your baby.
Regardless, if you’ve had a normal pregnancy & don’t have time to read this whole thread, know that vaginal birth is typically safer and remains recommended above c-section.
While a c-section may not require pushing & the same degree of labor, it is not without its own difficulties.
Vaginal birth may be more difficult during the process, but a c-section requires lengthy recovery.
C-sections get a bad reputation thanks to the media & also tags like "Hebrew women".
Advocates for natural birth argue that doctors are allowing women to have c-sections more out of convenience than necessity.
That is not the case.
Women who have a c-section are in recovery for a period of time after delivering & miss what is commonly known as the “golden hour”, or the first hour of life.
Moms who deliver via c-section can, and do, successfully breastfeed, it just may take more time to get into a stable routine.
This is because of scar tissue & damage to the uterus during surgery.
Delivery multiples (twins, triplets, etc.) naturally can be dangerous.
There is also an increased risk of oxygen deprivation as the birth process may take longer.
Planning ahead is also helpful or couples with older children and careers.
However, even the most well thought out c-section plan can still go awry.
Always remember that scheduling is not guaranteeing.
There will always be stigma around certain choices & procedures but the decisions you make for your family are personal & should always be made in your best interests