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A quarter of all births are now by Caesarean, double the number a decade ago, and as a new book reveals, the rate is rising.

Opinion about this is divided: some experts argue that the risks are too high; others believe today's mothers deserve the choice. Here, Professor Philip Steer and Professor Wendy Savage put forward their views:

Professor Philip Steer is Professor of Obstetrics at Imperial College School of Medicine and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital , London . He says:

Professor Philip Steer

The human race has got brainier over the past 1.5 million years. In most ways, this is a good thing, but in reproductive terms it causes problems.

The increase in brain size has triggered an increase in the head size of human babies — in fact, it's trebled since the early Palaeolithic Age.

While once the diameter of a baby's head was around 3cm, it's now 9 cm. Unfortunately, the size of the female pelvis, at around 11 cm in diameter, hasn't grown proportionately, making it an increasingly tight squeeze and less suitable for vaginal births.

As well as increasing the risk of conditions such as vesicovaginal fistula (where obstructed labour can cause terrible internal injuries), it's increased the pain levels in labour. Around 56 per cent of women now find the whole process downright unbearable, according to statistics from the National Birthday Trust Fund (now Wellbeing of Women).

Grin and bear it

Years ago, there was nothing we could do about this — women simply had to grin and bear it — but modern technology has given us solutions.

We can bypass the pain of labour and give everyone a pretty easy birth should they wish. And many women go for that option, electing to have a Caesarean instead. Sometimes it isn't medically necessary, but there's nothing wrong with that.

For a start, you can emotionally appreciate the birth of your child. You're not in pain, you're not uncomfortable and you're not shattered after having been in labour for ten hours or more.

Equally, there's something to be said for knowing your child will be coming on a certain date at a certain time. Not only is there no last-minute panic or rush, but it's more relaxed.

And with staffing shortages undoubtedly a problem within the NHS, the confirmed date in the diary helps alleviate a patient's fears.

Knowing your obstetrician will be there during the birth is another factor. This is why 50 per cent of private patients go for elective Caesareans — they value the relationship with their obstetrician more than a natural birth.

The argument that it's more dangerous is unjustified. Excluding emergency Caesareans, there's no good evidence to show this.

And many myths perpetuate about the recovery period, but this procedure doesn't leave you completely incapacitated. I've had women go home within 24 hours.

Yes, Caesareans are a little more costly than a natural birth, but on the flipside they're very straightforward. The operation takes around an hour.

We all have a right to autonomy - so women should have the right to choose a Caesarean section over a natural birth should they so wish.

Professor Wendy Savage is the former senior lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Honorary Consultant at the London Hospital Medical College . She says:

Professor Wendy Savage

Giving birth is the most natural thing women can do. It's not something that should be penned in the diary between a lunch date and a business meeting. When a baby arrives it's a blessing, and we should embrace that.

Of course, technology moves on, but if a baby can be born without any interference, surely that's the best thing for both mother and child?

There is no justification for us to have a higher Caesarean rate than 10 to 12 per cent. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has noted that countries with some of the lowest perinatal (the period shortly before or after birth) mortality rates in the world have a Caesarean rate of less than 10 per cent.

The reason for the increase in rates is simple — doctors deem a Caesarean the easy option nowadays. They can book the time it's going to be done, it's over quickly and there's very little fear of something going wrong and being sued.

But selling Caesareans as an easy answer is completely wrong. Of course, there are times when it's vitally necessary — when the life of the baby is at risk or if the woman is having a severe bleed.

But when there's nothing medically wrong, women need to know the consequences of undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Higher risk of death

Obstetricians sing the virtues and underplay the disadvantages. In a Caesarean you have a higher risk of dying than through a normal delivery — that is a fact.

And you cannot spring back to normal afterwards. It takes time for the scar to heal, and the cut muscle can take more than a month to recover fully.

Emotionally, it can also make a difference. Reports from the U.S. have shown that the partners of women who've had Caesareans bond more strongly with the baby than the mothers.

Yes, pain is involved in labour, but babies' heads are perfectly able to fit through the pelvis, whatever Professor Steer says.

With the average first labour being around 12 hours, it's natural that women will go through a point where they feel they can't carry on. But doctors need to get tougher and not immediately opt for the Caesarean.

Women need to be educated about natural births, too. Many women who elected to have a Caesarean only did so because they'd had a difficult labour followed by a Caesarean with their first child. But second births are usually much easier.

And let's not forget the financial implications of Caesareans — the cost to the NHS is nearly treble the amount, and a 1 per cent rise in Caesarean births in England and Wales costs the NHS £5 million every year.

But the main issue is that women deserve to know the facts. Most women, having been given an informed choice, would want to deliver naturally.

• Caesarean Birth In Britain by Helen Churchill, Wendy Savage and Colin Francome costs £18 and is published by Middlesex University Press. To buy it online, visit www.mupress.co.uk.