By Ken Thomas, medical negligence specialist and Lawyer of the Year at Harding Evans Solicitors.

For some time now it has been known that Welsh hospitals perform more caesarean section births that their counterparts in England. Almost a quarter of Welsh women now opt for a caesarean section delivery.

Caesareans have traditionally been performed to minimise the risk of damage to mother and child. That is, where normal, vaginal delivery might lead to either suffering injury.

Indeed, failure to carry out a section in those circumstances can be negligent. If a baby is not delivered soon enough then there can be devastating consequences. If the child suffers a disruption in the supply of oxygen to the brain whilst in the womb, then brain damage can result. This can be one cause of Cerebral Palsy. Individuals who have been unlucky enough to go through such an ordeal should seriously consider seeking legal advice.

Caesarean sections can be elective – where the procedure is planned some time in advance and the mother knows the date she is to be admitted for the surgery to be carried out, or emergency – that is where the procedure has to be carried out quickly in order to deliver the baby safely and before it gets into difficulties.

However reports of late suggest that some mothers are asking for caesarean section even where there are no such medical indicators. They may not feel able to face a normal vaginal delivery which is inevitably unpredictable in its timing and duration. The unfortunate phrase “too posh to push” is now bandied about as a result of celebrity mothers opting for caesarean sections.

This is why the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has within the last week issued guidance on caesarean sections. These guidelines cover the information and support that should be offered to women making decisions about childbirth and whether to opt for a section.

The intention is to reduce the number of unnecessary and inappropriate caesarean sections while still allowing the mother a choice.

In some quarters it is felt that doctors sometimes too readily and automatically agree to requests for surgical births. Also that many women do not realise that a caesarean is a major surgical procedure not to be entered into lightly. Another concern is – inevitably in today’s NHS – over costs. Caesarean sections cost the NHS considerably more than natural births.

Of course, no form of childbirth is without risks both to mother and child. Thankfully the overwhelming majority of deliveries proceed smoothly and without incident.