Hail Caesar

Who performed the first caesarean? Was Julius Caesar born by caesarean section? If I have a caesarean for my first baby do all the other births have to be caesareans as well? Is it okay for a woman to have a caesarean just because she wants one…or is she being selfish? What are the real risks of caesarean section?

And why is the caesarean rate rising steadily in Australia, so that one in three babies is now born this way?

These questions, and many others about this hotly-debated surgical operation, are all answered in Hail Caesar, a well-informed and provocative explanation of every aspect of caesarean birth. From the pen of a woman doctor who has personally performed more than 4,000 caesareans comes a guide to the operation packed with facts, sympathetic to all viewpoints, and up-to-date in its attitudes. Caesarean, says Caroline de Costa, while not a natural method of birth, is now both common and safe, and should be regarded as one of the normal birth methods. Accurate information about the surgery should be supplied to all pregnant women, so that when faced with the possibility of the surgery for themselves they can make an informed decision. Currently women who give birth by caesarean too often end up feeling guilty or negative about their experience because they have not been well prepared. 

For mothers, mothers to be, fathers, partners, families and all those just interested in birth, here is the definitive book on caesarean section in Australia in the 21st century.