Far from being “too posh to push”, it is the psychological fear of childbirth among first-time mothers that is behind the high rate of elective Caesarean sections, a significant study says.

The findings showed that almost 44 per cent of women who requested a Caesarean had a “clinically significant fear of childbirth” as a result of negative feedback from friends and family who have had natural deliveries.

The report, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, revealed that despite medical advances in pain relief, fear of normal deliveries remained high. It urged more compassion and less criticism of women who avoid going through labour.

Swedish researchers examined the expectations of 496 healthy women in the 37-39th week of pregnancy, with no experience of childbirth. More than four in ten chose Caesareans over normal delivery, citing fears of losing the baby, or their own life, along with pain, pelvic floor injuries, loss of self-control and no assistance.

Dr Ingela Wiklund, from Stockholm, who led the study, said: “Women suffering from significant childbirth fear indicate that they are unhappy and afraid that the child will be injured.”

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