As Victoria Beckham’s pre-booked labour date approaches, the debate over elective caesareans kicks off again
Victoria is booked in for her fourth caesarean
The number of mums giving birth by elective caesarean in the UK has risen in the past year from 3.6% to 5.5% of all births. But despite criticism that the procedure is an easy way out for women “too posh to push”, experts are split over which method of delivery comes with the lowest risk.
With Victoria Beckham’s planned caesarean for her fourth child reportedly set to take place on July 4th, the issue is in the spotlight again and some experts have suggested multiple caesareans put mums’ lives at risk, affects their recovery time and can interfere with bonding.
But this claim is refuted by others who explain that childbirth by any method, comes with risks, and mums should be given all the facts to decide which birth they would prefer.
“Every woman has the right to decide how they give birth, whatever the method,” says Clive Spence-Jones, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, in an article for the Daily Mail. He believes the criticism over elective caesareans demeans mums-to-be. “This scaremongering is outrageous, misleading and does nothing to help women become better informed about the realities of delivering a baby,” Clive says.
On the NHS, women cannot currently choose to have a caesarean without a medical reason. This causes some women to turn to private healthcare to enable them to have the birth they want.
Do you think elective caesareans should be available on the NHS?
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