ALMOST A THIRD of women giving birth to their first child in Ireland in 2010 did so by Caesarean section, according to new figures published yesterday.

The figures from Bump2Babe.ie, a website on Ireland’s consumer maternity services, compiled figures provided by 22 maternity hospitals and found that just over 30 per cent of first-time mothers gave birth by C-section last year.

St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny had the highest record of first-time mothers giving birth in that way – with 339 of the 785 first-time mothers in that hospital having their children delivered by C-section.

Mount Carmel Hospital in Dublin had the highest rate of Caesarean deliveries for mothers giving birth to their second and subsequent children, with 40.3 per cent of returning mothers delivering their children in that way.

Mount Carmel also had the highest level of overall Caesarean births, with 499 of the 1,291 babies being born there delivered by C-section.

The National Maternity Hospital on Holles St had the lowest rate of Caesarean delivery for first-time mothers, at 22.1 per cent, while Sligo General Hospital had the lowest overall rate at 18.9 per cent.

Examine the statistics in full at Bump2Babe.ie >