Women warned of risks when deciding how to give birth

ATTEMPTS at a natural birth after a woman has had a Caesarean section are more dangerous for the baby than another surgical delivery, researchers said yesterday.

Serious complications including a ruptured womb and a lack of oxygen leading to brain damage in the newborn child were found among women who tried to have a vaginal delivery after a previous Caesarean.

Researchers, writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, said women should be aware of the risks when deciding how to give birth. In recent years there has been growing concern that women are opting to have their baby by Caesarean even when there is no medical reason behind it - sometimes dubbed “too posh to push.” In other cases, cautious doctors can choose to perform Caesareans when there are the first signs of difficulty in labour.