It really depends a lot on the woman's history and how things are with this particular pregnancy. Some women are picked up early on as being high risk for needing a caesarean, eg, previous section, previous problems in labour, etc. Other women are found to need one later in the pg, like if they have placenta previa, a badly positioned baby, mutliple babies and so on.
I think you can ask for a caesarean, but that doesn't mean you'll get one. If there is no medical reason at all, then you are likely to be refused unless you go private. As far as I know, the only time you really get a choice between natural birth and caesarean is when you've had one section and are having a normal pg this time.
If a woman is suspected to need a caesarean, then it usually isn't booked until their 36 week appt with a consultant (in my area anyway), unless they need it done earlier for whatever reason.
With a first baby, a midwife won't really be thinking about the need for a caesarean until the last few weeks of pg if there is a problem (breech, etc).
Are you dreading or hoping for one?
I think you can ask for a caesarean, but that doesn't mean you'll get one. If there is no medical reason at all, then you are likely to be refused unless you go private. As far as I know, the only time you really get a choice between natural birth and caesarean is when you've had one section and are having a normal pg this time.
If a woman is suspected to need a caesarean, then it usually isn't booked until their 36 week appt with a consultant (in my area anyway), unless they need it done earlier for whatever reason.
With a first baby, a midwife won't really be thinking about the need for a caesarean until the last few weeks of pg if there is a problem (breech, etc).
Are you dreading or hoping for one?
