- The Observer, Sunday August 12 2001
By 1997, around 18 per cent of babies were delivered by Caesarean.
Provisional figures suggest that the current rate is more than 20 per cent, or one in five babies. Between 50 and 60 per cent of those were emergencies.
The rate at some UK hospitals is as high as 30 per cent, although the World Health Organisation says there is no justification for a rate higher than 10-15 per cent.
The increase in Caesareans has coincided with a growing shortage of midwives in the UK.
The Association for Improvements in Maternity Services (Aims) directly links the increased number of Caesarean sections to the rising number of women having emergency hysterectomies after childbirth.
Aims can be contacted on 01753 652781
C-section celebrities
• Zoë Ball gave birth to her son, Woody, by elective Caesarean.
• Madonna had both her daughter, Lourdes, and son, Rocco, by emergency Caesarean.
• Victoria Beckham had Brooklyn by Caesarean.
• Tanya Bryer had an emergency Caesarean with her first baby, Natasha Joy. Her second is lying in breech position, so she says she will be having another Caesarean.
• Patsy Kensit had an emergency Caesarean with Lennon, her son by Liam Gallagher.
• Patsy Palmer's second baby, Fenton, and her third, Emilia, were both delivered by Caesarean.
Source: Pregnancy & Birth magazine
Related sites
The National Childbirth Trust
Information on the issues, costs and risks of caesarean sections
Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services
Research articles discussing the potential risks of caesarean sections
Association of Radical Midwives
Articles on whether mothers should be able to choose operative births
US-based sites
Childbirth.org
Information on all aspects of caesarean sections
Cesarean Voices
A web site by, for, and about cesarean born people including discussions of whether caesarean birth affects a child's personality.
