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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...sarean-sections-rise-exclusive-postcodes.html
Are women living in the UK's most exclusive postcodes 'too posh to push'? Women giving birth in these areas are almost TWICE as likely to have C-sections to avoid the pain of childbirth
- Some 37% of babies born at Chelsea and Westminster Trust are via C-section
- This is compared to just 19.3% delivered by Caesarean at the West Suffolk
- C-sections cost the NHS around £1,000 more than vaginal deliveries
- Call the Midwife star Helen George opted for a Caesarean with her daughter
- C-sections can cause blood clots, excessive bleeding and womb infections
Women giving birth at hospitals in the UK's most exclusive postcodes are almost twice as likely to have C-sections, new figures have revealed.
Some 37 per cent of all babies born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital last year were delivered via Caesarean section compared to just 19.3 per cent at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, data shows.
C-sections cost the NHS around £1,000 more than vaginal deliveries due to the extra staff, equipment and medication that is required.
The data comes after figures in November revealed more Caesareans happened in the UK last year than since records began in the 1980s.
Older mothers have repeatedly been blamed for driving a surge in numbers because their pregnancies are often more complex. Many of these women are advised to have planned C-sections to avoid life-threatening complications during the delivery.
An increasing number of women, like Call The Midwife star Helen George, are also opting for the procedure because they wish to minimise the pain they endure during childbirth.
However, although usually safe, C-sections can cause blood clots, excessive bleeding and womb infections.
Commenting on the latest data, which has been released by NHS Digital, Professor Eugene Declercq, an expert in maternal and child health at Boston University, told MailOnline: 'Many woman want to avoid the pain of childbirth but studies show women face more difficulties after C-sections. Around 18 per cent of women still feel pain at the site six months later.'
Surgeons at the Chelsea and Westminster carry out around 45 C-sections a week compared to just nine per week at the West Suffolk.
Last year, 27.8 per cent of all births in England's NHS hospitals were by C-section.
Health experts claim the rate should be closer to 15 per cent, which could save the NHS around £80 million.
Of all the Caesarean deliveries last year, 76,163 were pre-planned while the remaining 98,557 were emergencies.
In the last four years, the number of pre-planned procedures has increased by eight per cent, while the number of emergency C-sections has risen by just two per cent.
RISING RATES OF OLDER MOTHERS IN THE UK
The proportion of women over 40 giving birth in England and Wales has trebled in the last 30 years, from 4.9 per 1,000 in 1984 to 14.7 per 1,000 in 2014.
The average age for a woman to have her first child in the UK is now 30. A staggering one in 25 of all UK births is now to a mother over the age of 40.
Older mothers, obesity and a fear of childbirth are driving record numbers of Caesareans, according to experts.
Last year almost 28 per cent of women who gave birth had a Caesarean, a three-fold rise since the 1980s.
This included 12 per cent who had a planned Caesarean – one in eight - the remainder had one as an emergency.
The figures from NHS Digital are the highest since records began in 1980.
They also show that only half of women who gave birth last year went into labour naturally, 55 per cent.
The proportion of women over 40 giving birth in England and Wales has trebled in the last 30 years, from 4.9 per 1,000 in 1984 to 14.7 per 1,000 in 2014.
The average age for a woman to have her first child in the UK is now 30. A staggering one in 25 of all UK births is now to a mother over the age of 40.
Older mothers, obesity and a fear of childbirth are driving record numbers of Caesareans, according to experts.
Last year almost 28 per cent of women who gave birth had a Caesarean, a three-fold rise since the 1980s.
This included 12 per cent who had a planned Caesarean – one in eight - the remainder had one as an emergency.
The figures from NHS Digital are the highest since records began in 1980.
They also show that only half of women who gave birth last year went into labour naturally, 55 per cent.