Pregnant women opt for Caesareans because 'they are afraid of poor care' during natural birth, says leading midwife
Mothers-to-be are opting for Caesareans because they are afraid of poor care if they have a natural birth, a leading midwife has revealed.
Around one in four women in the UK has their baby delivered by surgery putting enormous pressure on the NHS.
The rate has shot up to this level in the last two decades but is double that in private hospitals.
Pippa Nightingale, head of midwifery at Imperial NHS Trust in London, has claimed that some women want Caesareans because they are worried about poor treatment in NHS hospitals.
‘As a midwife working in a busy hospital, I know that some request a planned Caesarean because of fears their care will not be good enough and concern they will not receive enough support during labour and delivery,’ she said.
‘After a discussion of all the pros and cons of both types of birth, and having been assured of one-to-one midwifery support and a personal birth plan, many will often choose to try a vaginal birth.
‘Ensuring women are fully informed about their birth options is important. I am sure this quality standard will be a helpful tool for all involved.’
In 1980, only nine per cent of deliveries were surgical but it has shot up to 20 to 25 per cent.
More women are planning so-called designer births in which they book a Caesarean.
About seven per cent of NHS surgical births – around 10,000 babies a year – follow a request from the mother for no medical reason.
More... Woman, 27, forced to have abortion after she was wrongly prescribed acne drugs which left her unborn child seriously disabled Heavily pregnant mother, 32, and her baby did after trainee surgeons removed her OVARY instead of her appendixThere has been speculation about a trend among modern women ‘too posh to push’ who choose a Caesarean for lifestyle reasons as they do not want to go through labour.
Celebrities who have had a surgical birth include singers Victoria Beckham and Mel B, radio presenter Zoe Ball, and actress Patsy Kensit.
But there is continuing medical debate on how women who have had one caesarean, for whatever reason, should be advised to deliver in any subsequent pregnancies.
A major study in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology said they ran a 50-fold extra risk of a ruptured womb if they attempted to deliver naturally.
Around one in four women in the UK has their baby delivered by surgery putting enormous pressure on the NHS. The number of Caesareans has increased dramatically in recent yearsNew NHS guidelines from the National Institute for health and Care Excellence will make it clear that mothers-to-be must have a documented discussion with members of the maternity team if they need, request or have had a surgical delivery.
Nice said there is currently ‘confusion’ among pregnant women about Caesareans.
In future, discussions should be arranged ‘promptly’ and usually involve a consultant as they are best placed to advise on risks and benefits.
The Royal College of Midwives said the pros and cons compared with vaginal birth must be discussed, especially with women who want surgery because they are worried about childbirth.
The guidance is likely to reduce ‘inappropriate’ requests for surgical births, they said.
The updated advice says a mother-to-be should be ‘fully supported in her choice’ if she wishes to try for a vaginal birth after a previous Caesarean.
Dr Gillian Leng, director of health and social care at Nice, said: ‘Nice has developed this standard because up to a quarter of women are having Caesarean sections.
‘We want to ensure that women who may need or may have had a Caesarean section, or are simply asking about them as an option, have the most up-to-date information about the quality of care they should receive.’
