The Health and Social Care Information Centre has noticed a slight increase this year in the number of Cesarean sections being carried out in England and Wales this year.
C-sections were developed in rare cases where complications mean that a natural birth is not possible or could have other risks, but some people choose these days to opt for a c section rather than go through the pain of natural child birth.
While C-sections are a well establish (Julius Ceasar was reputed to have been born this way) and very safe operation, the The Royal College of Midwives did stress that is is still a major surgical procedure, and not to be undertaken likely.
Possible alternatives can be a TENS machine which uses electrical impulses to block the pain, or some people find water births less painful. Personally I found slapping my partner after he told me "I was doing really well" was greatly therapeutic.
