Concern as one baby in four now born by Caesarean section

A quarter of babies are born by Caesarean section, figures show.

The latest maternity figures show that 25 per cent of mothers in England had a Caesarean – a slight increase from the previous year, according to data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

Older mothers were more inclined to have an elective C section – with 18 per cent over the age of 35 opting not to give birth naturally.

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One in 10 mothers aged 25 to 
34 had the elective surgery and five per cent of those under 25 gave birth by caesarean, according to the hospital data from 2011 and 2012.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) raised concerns about the figures. Louise Silverton, the RCM’s director for midwifery, said: “That means that one in four women giving birth is having a caesarean, which is a major surgical procedure.

“There has also been a rise in the number of elective caesareans while the number of emergency caesareans has remained stable. Questions must be asked as to what the driver is behind this increase in elective surgery.”

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