In 2017, I gave birth to my son after a grueling 30-hour induced labour that ended in an emergency caesarean section. At the time, I didn’t know I was part of a growing trend in how British babies are being born. In that year, 29% of births in England were delivered via caesarean. Today, that figure has surged to 42%, marking a dramatic rise in the UK caesarean birth rate.
This shift raises urgent questions: Why are so many more babies being delivered by C-section? What does this mean for mothers, birthing people, and the maternity care system? And how do we ensure that rising caesarean rates reflect choice and safety, not fear or failure?
Understanding the Rise in UK C-Section Rates
Multiple factors are driving the rise in caesarean births. Leading voices in obstetrics point to medical risk factors such as obesity and maternal age. Rising levels of obesity increase the risk of complications in pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, which in turn raise the likelihood of needing a surgical birth. Social deprivation plays a role too, compounding health issues that lead to more interventions.
In addition, people are having children later in life than previous generations. Age is another key risk factor in pregnancy and labour complications, often leading clinicians to recommend a C-section over a vaginal delivery.
But the story doesn’t end with health statistics. The UK’s rising caesarean section rate also reflects deep systemic and cultural changes in the way we approach childbirth.
From Medical Miracle to Mainstream Procedure
Until the early 20th century, a caesarean was considered a last-resort procedure — dangerous and often deadly. But as medicine evolved, so did perceptions. The 1960s and 70s saw the rise of the medicalised birth, supported by technology like continuous fetal monitoring and ultrasound scans. These tools revolutionised maternity care, offering parents an intimate window into pregnancy. But they also introduced a new wave of anxiety, vigilance, and risk aversion.
As monitoring technology replaced manual skills and clinical instinct, the caesarean birth rate began to rise — and it hasn’t stopped.
Today, breech births, for instance, are rarely handled manually. Instead, surgical delivery is now the standard. This shift has saved countless lives — both babies and mothers — but it has also led to the gradual "deskilling" of some obstetric techniques. Caesareans are now less a last resort, and more a frequent — sometimes default — option.
The Maternity Care Crisis in the UK
The rise in UK C-section rates cannot be separated from the broader challenges facing maternity care. Staff shortages, budget constraints, and fragmented care have left many pregnant women feeling unsupported and unheard.
Major reports in recent years — including the Ockenden and Kirkup inquiries — have exposed a culture of misplaced ideology around “natural birth” in some NHS trusts. In an effort to improve statistics on vaginal deliveries, women’s wishes and clinical warnings were ignored, sometimes with tragic consequences.
Despite the increase in surgical births, there is still stigma attached to choosing a caesarean. The outdated trope of being “too posh to push” lingers in public consciousness, casting unfair judgment on those who opt — or are advised — to have a C-section.
In 2018, a BBC investigation found that 75% of UK maternity units were denying women their right to request a C-section, highlighting systemic resistance to patient-led decision-making. This lack of autonomy continues to affect many, particularly women from marginalised backgrounds.
Inequalities in Birth Outcomes
The rise in C-sections also reflects and reinforces inequality. Black Caribbean-British women are more likely than white women to undergo emergency caesareans — a sign of broader racial disparities in care. Women from lower-income backgrounds are also more likely to face complications that lead to C-sections. Yet they are less likely to feel heard or supported in the decision-making process.
The intersection of race, class, and maternal health must be urgently addressed if we are to ensure that rising caesarean rates reflect better outcomes, not systemic failure.
When Choice Meets Fear
For some, opting for a C-section offers a sense of control — especially in a system where continuity of care is rare and medical language is often frightening or confusing. My own experience included speaking to multiple obstetricians, each with a different tone, often using clinical or fear-driven language. One midwife offered gentle euphemisms; my hypnobirthing instructor assured me my body could handle anything.
When none of it went as planned, I felt like I had failed — not only in birth but in believing in the promises offered by people who didn’t stay through the journey.
This is a common story. Women and birthing people are too often left unprepared for the full range of possibilities. Emergency caesareans are traumatic enough; feeling blindsided only compounds that trauma.
What Needs to Change in UK Maternity Care
With the UK caesarean birth rate at 42%, there is an urgent need to improve how maternity services support and inform patients. This includes:
-
Providing consistent, compassionate communication that is free from ideology and pressure.
-
Respecting patient autonomy, including the right to request a C-section, and supporting informed decision-making.
-
Addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities in maternal outcomes and access to safe, respectful care.
-
Rebuilding trust in maternity services by ensuring women feel heard, supported, and prepared — whatever kind of birth they have.
Conclusion: Birth Is Personal, and Care Must Reflect That
Birth is not just a clinical event. It’s a profound emotional, physical, and cultural experience. While the rising UK C-section rate reflects advances in safety and medical care, it also signals failures in communication, support, and systemic equity.
Women and birthing people need maternity services that work with them — not against them. They need systems that listen, inform, and support choice, whatever shape their birth journey takes.
Keywords: UK caesarean birth rate, C-section in the UK, rising caesarean rates, emergency C-section, maternity care UK, birth inequalities, NHS maternity crisis, caesarean delivery trends, informed birth choices