A growing number of women are deciding to schedule a Cesarean instead of having a vaginal birth. In some respects, it seems a logical decision. Today's mother-to-be is a busy woman. Scheduling a Cesarean means she can plug the date of the baby's birth on her calendar and easily plan around it.

Also, some women believe if a previous birth was by Cesarean, subsequent births are easier done the same way, or they've been told a vaginal birth after a C-section is difficult. Still other women believe a C-section is the safer way to give birth.

However, having a Cesarean is not without risks. It's easy to forget this is major surgery. With a C-section, anesthesia is involved, as is opening up the abdomen and womb. The typical recovery period is eight weeks, which is longer than the recovery for a vaginal birth.

"There can be long-term, permanent damage from a C-section," says Dr. Robert Atlas, chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md. "Some women end up with chronic pain, numbness or itching at the incision."

Itching and numbness has been an issue for Sheri Menelli of Carlsbad, Calif. "A few inches below my belly button and all the way down to and past the incision is numb," she says. "It feels strange. As the nerves are growing back, the area itches or feels prickly, but it is mostly numb."

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