Caesarean Birth – Your Questions
Answered

To be released by Melbourne University Press on 11 th August 2026

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The book is written primarily for pregnant women and those planning pregnancy, with additional relevance for partners, family, friends, midwives, and doctors.

 

More than 40 percent of babies born in Australia today arrive by caesarean section. More than half of these are planned caesars,25% 0f all births, meaning that there is a reason, medical or non-medical, known in advance of the surgery. The remainder are emergency caesars: vaginal birth was originally anticipated, but a complication of pregnancy or labour has meant that plans have had to be changed. These make up about 12-15% of all births. Caesarean section, although not ‘normal birth’, is now a common way to be born, and in the 21 st century good information is needed, for everyone, about the topic.

 

The past 25 years have seen dramatic changes in how birth and particularly caesarean birth are perceived: assessing birth outcomes rather than caesarean rates, the concept of obstetric trauma that should be acknowledged and avoided if possible, the giving of truly informed consent to procedures in the birth suite and the operating theatre, the increasing incidence of obesity, diabetes and hypertension in pregnancy, and the roles of maternal and infant microbiomes in caesarean section, are all developments that have come to the fore in the 21 st century. Caesarean Section- Your Questions Answered, deals extensively with all these newer topics, while also supplying evidence-based information about how and why the surgery is done, the benefits and risks, and what the future holds for caesarean birth. As an obstetrician who over forty-five years has seen thousands of babies born and performed thousands of caesarean sections Caroline is well placed to bring this book to readers.

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