42% of UK births are c-sections

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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.

What 😂😂😂

How to tell me you’ve never given birth by any means without telling me you’ve never given birth

I had my first baby 13 years ago and due my second in less than 2 months.

I can’t comment on the details behind the statistics…but from my own perception there has been a huge shift in medical attitudes- not just c sections but pain relief and also staff being more risk averse.
i commented to a friend that I felt as if I gave birth in the medieval period last time.

all the way through labour, I was strongly discouraged from pain relief and even though I had a medical problem…they were adamant they were not letting it go to a c section. Some women I knew did end with c sections but these were emergency. Things like weight/twins/ gestational diabetes/mental health didn’t really seem to matter. One of the women in my antenatal group (can’t remember where she was from) but came from a country where c sections where the norm and was hysterical when she found out this wasn’t the case in the UK…still had a vaginal birth.

fast forward to now and my first midwife appointment- so what are you thinking? Vaginal or c section? I was really shocked to find out I could have one just by asking.

I had one C-section and one VBAC (ended in forceps). I was convinced that the natural way is better, so I went for it the second time, but now I'm not holding my urine well as a result of the instrument used. So probably it was not such a great choice. My sister had 2 C-sections and she's fine.

“Elective” doesn’t mean what you think it means, though. Most want to label it as “too posh to push”, but actually it can be a valid medical choice.

@Iimetree I've had three - two awful and quite frankly dangerous hospital births (one induced and forceps, both vaginal), and one incredible private homebirth during the height of Covid.
So your comment looks a bit silly now, unfortunately.
Women can, and do, and are now able to, make a C-section choice purely based on convenience. Goes without saying of course that not all do and many are upon medical advice.
But this remains fact whether you agree with it or not.
From NHS website:Asking for a caesareanSome women choose to have a caesarean for non-medical reasons.If you ask your midwife or doctor for a caesarean when there are not medical reasons, they'll explain the overall benefits and risks of a caesarean to you and your baby compared with a vaginal birth.If you're anxious about giving birth, you should be offered the chance to discuss your anxiety with a healthcare professional who can offer support during your pregnancy and labour.If after discussing all the risks and hearing about all the support on offer you still feel that a vaginal birth is not an acceptable option, you should be offered a planned caesarean. If your doctor is unwilling to perform the operation, they should refer you to a doctor who will.

I've had one induced birth which was a good experience and an elective c-section which was a great experience and completely my choice, would also be my choice if I had more DC.

What is wrong with women having choices? Be it a homebirth or an elective c-section?

@SouthLondonMum22 I am all for women having choice. If a woman wants to chose potentially unecessary major abdominal surgery so she is back home in time to watch a bit of sport on the box then why not? Even if it isn't a choice I would make personally.
Does it have an impact on anything else I guess I would question and I'm not sure?

@everychildmatters Well if that’s the case, you would know that recovery from a c-section takes much, much longer than recovery from a vaginal birth. So the notion that someone would purposefully have a c-section so that they can go to a party is just bonkers. You’re making ridiculous statements.

She can only make that choice if the sport on TV happens to be on for around the time for them to schedule the c-section and then be home for it too since I doubt she'd fancy watching in hospital so it would be very fortunate timing indeed.

What do you think it might have an impact on?

Bear in mind that anything that isn’t a booked in elective c section is counted as an emergency- my sister in law had an elective booked, went into labour two weeks before her elective section and was counted as an emergency, despite it being planned.

if I ever have children ill opt for a c section. It seems a no brainer to me.

@Iimetree I've even posted the NHS guidance on this!! It happens. Probably more than you think. See another poster who discussed teachers and holidays, for example. All women can now choose regardless of their reasoning.

So why aren't all women routinely offered a c-section I wonder? The RCOG guidance sheds light here.

What’s your issue with them having the choice though?

@DontReinMeIn Nothing, providing it is fully informed.
I wonder the impact on the NHS however if every woman opted for a C-section? What's the average difference between hospital stay time for vaginal birth vs CS, for example?
Maternity care on the NHS is already not fit for purpose so much of the time, hence why I opted for a private birth (especially at height of Covid).

Yes - I agree with all the comments about "elective" being misleading. My first was breech so I was down as elective due to risks. As it happened I went into labour early so it was emergency. My second was elective, but elective because my consultant advised me to have an elective rather than attempt a V-bac. So elective based on medical advice.

The hospital I work at operates a theatre solely for emergency c sections everyday. It’s usually pretty empty - maybe one or two a day. I think any impact would take a long, long time to ascertain because you’d have to count in how many women don’t need gynae surgery down the line due to prolapses etc post birth.

Including the induction process, I was in longer for my vaginal birth than my c-section birth. If we don't include the induction process, I was in just overnight both times.

I think it’s the emergency label that’s misleading, it implies that it’s life or death. I think it should be elective (happens on the planned date), planned (I.e. was down for a section but went into labour early) and emergency. It would be more representative that way.

@hereismydog in so sorry you went through this. Would you consider getting some sort to work through it? Either through a professional counsellor or peer support from the Birth Trauma Association maybe?

"Does everyone really live their life going ‘Aunty Jane was fine when they cut through seven layers of her abdomen. Everyone should be like Aunty Jane because she was fine’"

Are you sure that's the right way round? From what I hear from other women it seems to be far more likely that Aunty Jane can't jump or run and is slightly incontinent after a vaginal birth. I've not heard another woman complain about long term issues after a section. I'm post menopausal, 2 sections and have no issues.

It’s more likely to be “aunty Jane tore so badly her vaginal walls have failed, she’s prolapsed and she’s got to go under the knife to get it fixed” 😬

Does it? I know lots of people who have recovered well from a section and others who have took months to recover from a vaginal birth due to perineal injuries not healing well.

@LegoHouse274 Yes it does as a rule. Simply because CS is major abdominal surgery. Hence restrictions with driving etc.

It doesn’t surprise me no. Lots of unnecessary interventions in our NHS unfortunately

If it's the woman's choice, what is so unfortunate about it?