just to share my birth experience from my first child...
In fact my waterbag teared but i didn't exactly realise until 3 days later.
Admit myself, the same night at 4am start to feel contractions, very painful and uncomfy,
like mei said, 100x regular cramps! Called nurse and they checked dilation and pushed me down to delivery ward and administered epidural.
Within few minutes, I don't feel any pain any more!
After 4 hours, I delivered, with help of midwife pushing down my stomach as they feel that I don't have enough strength to push.
I would say Natural birth is definitely much much better. The same night I can go down from my bed and go see my daughter.
Healing was no problem.
I said that also, before i was pregnant with first child, i did a lapo-scopy surgery, where the cut was really tiny like 1cm,
but i remember I suffered for 1 week from the healing, every step, every laugh, every cough or sneeze was painful!