Skip to Main Content
Care calculator » 

What is vaginal delivery?

There are two ways that babies can enter the world: through vaginal birth, or through a surgical procedure called a Cesarean section (C-section). The best type of delivery is a safe one for the mother and baby.   

A vaginal delivery is the most common type of birth, involving a fetus passing through the female birth canal called the vagina. Vaginal deliveries can be spontaneous or induced. A spontaneous delivery happens on its own, when the mother begins having uterine contractions that increase in number and intensity. Experiencing these contractions is called labor. Labor contractions ready the woman’s body for birth by moving the baby further down into her birth canal and expanding the cervix to at least ten centimeters.  

An induced pregnancy follows much the same process; however, labor does not begin spontaneously.   Instead, medications that simulate birth hormones are given to stimulate contractions and begin labor.  The amount of medication is adjusted to achieve active labor with effective contractions. Induction is used when the baby is full term, and the mother or baby might experience health problems by further delay in the birth.  

Whether spontaneous or induced, the average labor is around 12 to 24 hours for a first-time birth, and 6 to 8 hours for a woman who has previously delivered.

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

The site is not a substitute for medical or healthcare advice and does not serve as a recommendation for a particular provider or type of medical or healthcare.