42% of UK births are c-sections

[searchinghere]

Is anyone else surprised at this statistic? I’m sure it was only something like 20% when my now-teen was born.

Although I had noticed how so many of my friends/family members/colleagues having babies recently all seem to have had cesareans.

It looks as though the shift will only continue so potentially c-section will exceed 50% of births and be the more common mode of birth in a few years.

I think it’s really interesting! Will there be drive to try and push numbers down and increase vaginal births again? Or will it eventually become standard for most women to just book in for an elective section as standard and ‘attempting natural’ will be seen as a more unusual choice like home birth is currently.

I don’t blame you, when I was pregnant if someone had offered me a c-section to avoid the pain and uncertainty of childbirth, I would definitely have jumped at the chance. But it wasn’t an option back then for me as you had to have a clinical need (I asked).

However looking back, that would have been a BIG mistake as I would have missed out on two wonderful birthing experiences.

Yes it was painful and scary at times, and one of mine was an induction, but my god it was the most empowering and amazing thing I’ve ever done to give birth and honestly, afterwards I felt so confident in my body and it kind of changed me for the better.

I think back to that experience and nothing sort of fazes me any more, I take more risks, I’m not as fearful and this has improved my career/ finances / social life immensely. Might sound weird, but for me it was akin to climbing Kilimanjaro or running a marathon, which is known to have a similar effect on your mindset and mental resilience.

Anyway my experience might not be typical but I have read accounts from other women who feel similar. It changed me as much as motherhood did.

I’m glad you had a positive experience! Anything that empowers women is always a good thing in my book. And being able to choose the kind of birth we want is empowering. Women who opt for c-section seldom judge those who choose a vaginal birth and are happy to read that not everyone tears, it’s not always hours and hours etc. (at least I am), it’s just sad that that’s not always the case the other way round.

I've never said periods are taboo or to be ashamed off and I've had sex on my period too. Ive had multiple sexual partners, work with patients in a hospital and im certainly no prude. You are making so many presumptions but know nothing about me.

Im not ashamed of being a woman or my vagina but do I want a bunch of random strangers (midwives/drs) looking at it or touching it-no. Do i want them wiping my poo up- no. When theres an option like section available why not? I just find birth to be an unpleasant biological thing forced on women by nature that if we can and want to get around then we should. I personally dont find anything amazing or magical about it, its just something that has to happen to continue the species.

Medical tests like smears are different because you prepare and it doesnt last long although I find them quite physically uncomfortable.

We shouldn't be ashamed of any of our basic bodily functions, whether that's periods, pooing etc but do I want other people to see me doing mine no. And would I be happy if people decided to excrete their waste products in public- no.
To me any waste bodily fluids are a bit gross whether its natural or not.

Why does there always need to be this attitude towards women who choose a section?

I personally would support a woman in whatever way she wanted to give birth, medicated, water birth, section etc so I dont get why other woman's get in such a flap about someone choosing a section.

I agree, we should all have the choice over our own bodies. And surely it’s a given that some of us will have drastically different needs/wants/preferences to the next woman? Just like everything else in life.

I console myself with the fact I have only ever come across this attitude on MN. Several female relatives have had elective c-sections and no one batted an eyelid. Barely a topic of conversation beyond asking them how they’re healing. I do think we’re going through a transition period right now - soon the majority of births will be c-sections so it will just be the norm and not even noteworthy.

No judgement from me about elective c-sections. As I said, I would definitely have taken it if offered. Everything is weighing up benefits vs risks isn’t it? We can only go on the information available to us at the time.

But I do look back and I’m grateful for not being offered a c-section when I had to be induced, as I would have missed out. I don’t talk about this in real life.

@Bababear987 Many, many women (lots of this thread) absolutely do not perceive birth to be "an unpleasant biological thing forced on women by nature." I really don't think nature dislikes women!!
As @ConcernedBookworm said, it can be one of the most incredibly empowering and liberating things a woman is fortunate enough to be able to do. I remember my husband saying to me after the birth of his daughter that he felt both humbled and in awe of the entire process (especially as she was pretty much delivered into his arms at home alongside the IM).
It was also an incredibly moving experience for him and he remembers the whole (lengthy!) process with much admiration - an experience he only will ever have the opportunity to do the once and never again.

To be fair, over the last several pages of this thread I'm not sure that any posters have had a negative attitude towards c sections? And they've all been supportive of women choosing what they want.

and that's only because you had a vaginal birth and nothing to do with the fact that his child was born?

DH was moved when his children were born too, even when it was a c-section.

If c-sections are to become the norm, they need to train and recruit more Obstetricians pretty soon if they’re not already. Where’s the money for this going to come from?

Looking this up, they are dual Obs&Gynae trained. So given the huge backlogs in gynae that have been in the headlines, plus opportunities for private sector work, is Obstetrics attractive to acquire the extra workforce? Given the bad headlines and safety risks highlighted by the maternity review.

It’s all very well saying we should all have a choice, but is the system actually set up to cope? And what happens to the midwifery profession?

@SouthLondonMum22 Of course, but for him the opportunity to be very involved throughout meant a lot. That simply would not have been possible to the same extent with a C-Section.
Although for him I think also a big part of it was that it was only ever going to be a once-only; there was no possibility of doing it again.

Not the poster you're responding to, but while my DH was deeply moved by both, he was particularly in awe of the way I handled vaginal birth - how strong I was, and how amazingly I handled it, in his opinion. It really impressed him, I guess, to see me power through.

I think we both saw vaginal birth as something I actively did, whereas a c section was something I passively had done to me, because that is a difference between the two. So while he was also impressed by the way I handled the c section and the recovery afterwards, lying on a table having a surgeon 'do the work' wasn't quite the same intense, involved, hours-long experience as supporting me through giving birth.

Although obviously, at the end of the day, the most important thing was the best outcome for both me, and our babies.

I would have died without my c sections

Interesting point re midwifery, I guess the role may become more like ‘labour and delivery nurse’, similar to America where they don’t really have midwives as standard, just specialised nurses who assist Obgyns

@searchinghere America doesn't have a great record when it comes to birthing safety, however.

I've had both too and DH was amazed and in awe with both, I don't think how they were actually born made a difference to him.

If DP isn’t in awe of me of growing a baby for nine whole months, he’ll be shown the door. I don’t think a father needs to experience his partner pushing a baby out for 12 hours to be in awe.

Whoever mentioned upthread that lower birth rate / older age of first time mums might be a factor was definitely onto something. South Korea has a c-section rate of 67.4% (2024).

https://asianews.network/why-south-korean-mothers-are-opting-for-c-sections-at-record-rates/

@SouthLondonMum22 But he had nothing else to compare it to, unlike the husband of @OtterlyAstounding.
That's the point she is making.
Oh apologies - did you have both vaginal and CS?

10 days and 12 days respectively, and that was with me waiting to get the green light from the midwives first.

Nature doesn't care less about women as long as enough of us survive to continue the species.

Have a look at hyenas to see how little mother nature cares about these things. They have the worst births of any mammal, by a long shot. We are number 2 or 3 I believe.

Yeah, I mean, as I said he was in awe of both - but one was an hours-long, intense, strangely intimate experience, with just the two of us and a midwife in a dim room, and really quite moving - I think of those hours fondly, and the way in which he supported me through it so wonderfully also factors into how I feel.

I know people do it every day, but I can't help but think that we were both pretty amazing 🤣

Whereas the c section was just me lying there in a crowded theatre, wondering what was going on and wishing I could see, while the anaesthesiologist chatted to both me and his assistant, and my DH held my hand and then accidentally saw right into my abdomen, which gave him a start 😅 It was still a moving experience once the baby emerged, but not at all the same for either of us.

But I suppose for someone who had a complicated, stressful vaginal birth with injuries, a smooth c section would be preferable, so YMMV!

I used to be surprised to hear how many women actively want to have sex within a month of vaginal birth, but now I feel like it's perhaps not uncommon!

I've also had both.