More than half of UK babies born with medical intervention, maternal care audit finds
Warning issued as growing number of births require c-sections
- Over half of all births in the UK in 2023 involved medical intervention, according to an audit of NHS maternal care.
- The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit reported that 50.6 per cent of births included either a caesarean section or instrumental delivery.
- The proportion of births via caesarean section sharply increased from 25 per cent in 2015-16 to 38.9 per cent in 2023.
- The audit warned that this shift could lead to increased demands on maternity services and impact women's postpartum recovery.
- Experts link the rise in medical intervention to the increasing trend of older women giving birth, alongside factors like obesity and pre-existing medical conditions.