What the Latest NHS Maternity Statistics Tell Us
Why Inclusivity in Birth Support Matters More Than Ever
The NHS maternity statistics for 2024–2025 have recently been released, and while there’s a lot we could unpack, one finding in particular really stood out to me, both professionally and personally.
A key finding from the data
According to the latest figures:
45% of deliveries were by caesarean section
For women under 30, the most common method of delivery was spontaneous vaginal birth
For women aged 30 and over, the most common method of delivery was caesarean section
Source - https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-maternity-statistics/2024-25
This statistic matters — especially when we look at who we are supporting in pregnancy.
Why this feels especially relevant to my work
The majority of the women I work with are over the age of 30 so statistically, this means they are more likely to have a caesarean birth, whether that’s planned or unplanned.
Even if a caesarean isn’t part of their original birth plan.
I see this reflected clearly in my teaching. Recently, I began sharing birth stories from women in my community, and without any intentional planning, the first three stories were all caesarean births. All three were planned. That wasn’t a statement or a theme I chose, it simply reflected reality.
And I think that’s important.
The need for truly inclusive birth support
These statistics reinforce something I feel more strongly about every year:
inclusive birth preparation is no longer optional, it’s essential.
In pregnancy yoga, antenatal education, and birth preparation spaces, there can sometimes be an unconscious bias towards physiological birth. And while physiological birth is absolutely valid and worth celebrating, it cannot be the only narrative we centre.
Because in practice, many women, particularly those over 30, are more likely to experience intervention, induction, or caesarean birth.
When we don’t acknowledge this openly, we risk leaving women feeling:
Unprepared
Unsupported
Or quietly “othered” when their birth doesn’t fit the idealised version they were taught to expect
Support without judgement changes everything
Inclusive support means offering practical, compassionate guidance for all types of birth:
Planned caesarean
Unplanned caesarean
Induction
Vaginal birth
Instrumental birth
It means equipping women with tools and knowledge for:
The lead-up to birth
The birth itself
Recovery and the postnatal period
All without judgement, hierarchy, or implication that one experience is more valid than another.
Because when women feel informed, supported, and respected, regardless of how their baby arrives, they are far more likely to describe their birth as positive, empowering, and even magical.
Moving forward with realism and compassion
As pregnancy professionals, yoga teachers, antenatal educators, and birth workers, we have a responsibility to meet women where they are, not where we wish the statistics would be.
The data is clear.
The lived experience is clear.
And when we respond with realism, inclusivity, and compassion, we give women the best possible chance to approach birth feeling calm, confident, and supported, whatever path it takes.
That, to me, is what truly inclusive pregnancy and birth preparation looks like.
