'C' is for comfort, says one mother who made the choice

Doctors say the number of mums choosing caesarean sections is increasing at hospitals in the UAE.

Emma Sims with her daughters, who were delivered by planned caesarean sections. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

Giving birth naturally does not make a woman more of a mother, says Emma Sims, 34, who had both of her daughters by planned caesarean sections.

"To me, it seems to be a pointless stoicism or martyrdom that women feel they have to go through this baptism of pain to give birth to a child," Ms Sims said.

"The classic line is you would never go to the dentist and say, 'I'm hard, take my tooth out without anaesthetic', and so why on earth would I do that when having a baby?

"To me, it is completely unnecessary."

Being in full control of each step of her pregnancies was also a big part of the appeal, said the British expatriate, who has lived in the UAE for six years.

"I like the idea of a process that is basically scripted from start to finish," Ms Sims said.

She had both her children at the City Hospital in Dubai, the most recent seven weeks ago, and said the benefits of a C-section more than made up for any abdominal discomfort after the procedure.

And regardless of what society dictates, her response will always be the same.

"People always ask me, 'Oh, why did you have to have that?' and when I say I chose to, their answer is, 'Oh, really?' The 'too posh to push' impression is definitely still around.

"But why on earth would I choose to go through 24-plus hours of excruciating pain when I could just go through a 20-minute procedure?"

She says more and more of her friends are coming around to the idea that they can choose the "simpler" option.