April is Caesarean Awareness Month, an annual observance around the world, which brings focus to all topics surrounding caesarean births including: reducing preventable c-sections, the experience of a caesarean delivery, and advocating for a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC).

Caesarean Awareness Month empowers parents with information and support to make informed decisions about childbirth, reduce unnecessary caesarean deliveries, and promote positive birth experiences for families. 

For women who have experienced them, this month of awareness can be triggering or it can serve as a time of reflection. 

• Caesarean section rates have increased over the last 10 years to 30.9% of all births in 2021, the highest ever recorded. https://www.who.int/
• Caesarean section births now account for more than 1 in 5 of all childbirths.     https://www.who.int/
• By 2030, at the current pace, nearly a third of all births will likely take place by caesarean section (approx. 38 million caesareans annually). https://www.who.int/
• Experts estimate as many as half of the caesareans performed in the U.S. could be safely avoided. https://www.who.int/
• First-time mothers who give birth by unplanned caesarean section are 15% more likely to suffer from postpartum depression. https://www.who.int/

How our babies are born can be very different to what we may expect, so it is important as parents to have access to educational and evidence based information to make the best decisions that are right for you and your baby. Whether planning for a physiological birth and then consenting to an abdominal birth at any point, or planning for an abdominal birth as your first preference.

Mental and emotional support is also a critical aspect of quality care throughout pregnancy and childbirth and different care providers should all ultimately serve to ensure a mother feels safe and validated throughout her journey.

Whether a caesarean birth was a choice or not, there needs to be stronger awareness and absolute acceptance within society of abdominal births alongside acknowledgement of the specialised quality and women-centred care needed for a healthy recovery. There can still be so much shame experienced by women who have birthed their babies by c-section and who have also not had the chance to find a sense of closure and an acceptance of their birth story. 

As caesarean section rates continue to rise, we need to recognise our language and personal understanding around caesarean births and potentially the perspectives, resistance or judgments we may hold.

For a range of resources, programmes and personalised support to help you actively prepare for or to feel well in recovering from your birth, book a session with Vanessa.