This morning I was an invited guest on BBC WM's Phil Upton's Breakfast Show.News of NHS Trust 'bans'* on maternal request cesareans has been receiving a great deal of media attention, and it was my job to explain why I think the NHS should be supportive of this legitimate and prophylactic birth choice.
It was certainly a heated debate, and for the next week at least, you can listen to it here on BBCiplayer (scroll through to about 1hr 50min duration).
*In fact, until the NICE Caesarean Guideline Update is published later this year (which I hope will include much needed changes on this subject), it remains the case in England and Wales that a maternal request cesarean "is not on its own an indication" for surgery.
Therefore it strikes me as odd that this news is being reported as though maternal request cesareans have been permitted in the NHS up until now.
My guess is that these Trusts are trying to clamp down on doctors who support maternal request and have been quietly supporting this choice on an individualized basis.
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