[Dr. Lauria] "It's important to think about the kind of birth experience you want.

What is your ability to tolerate risk?

How important is planning for you?

How important is having that baby skin-to-skin right on your chest right away?

That can happen with either a C-section or a vaginal delivery, but you advocating for it is what's going to make most sure it's going to happen.

Repeat C-section has a lot of advantages to many women.

They can plan their birth. They can plan their postpartum care.

They can have all of their support structures around them."

[Rachel] "A planned repeat C-section was right for me and was right for my family because I didn't have as much anxiety around the unexpected.

I'm a big planner. That ability to plan definitely helped me relax."

[Dr. Lauria] "They can avoid what can be often frightening for some people, which is the unplanned C-section."

[Rachel] "I did not want to repeat the first experience, which had been pretty difficult for me."

[Dr. Lauria] "If a woman has never had a vaginal birth, the opportunity to experience labor can be very important."

[Lisa] "I was kind of looking at that natural labor as a gift.

And even if a labor ended again in a C-section, I would have had that natural beginning of labor and all the benefits that go along with it.

Things like ... knowing that the baby is really ready to enter the world and that the baby's lungs are ready ... and also that my body is ready to start breastfeeding and feed that baby when it comes out."

[Dr. Lauria] "If a woman is successful in her vaginal birth, which most women are, then recovery is typically easier."

[Alex] "I went home the day after. So, I didn't have to stay at the hospital very long.

I was just elated. I went to a party four days later with my baby."

[Dr. Lauria] "Make your plan about what you want your birth to look like, and stay open.

What are your broad strokes? What are your values?

Know them up front so you can articulate them.

But be accepting of the fact that we can't control everything that happens to us."