MIDWIVES and other health staff are working together to bring down Worcester's high level of Caesarean section births.

But they still cannot explain why the rate in the city is so high.

The rate of Caesarean sections at Worcestershire Royal Hospital is at about 30 per cent - well above the national level of 21.5 per cent.

Midwives from across Worcestershire have been meeting on a regular basis in the past few months, to see what they can learn from the most recent Caesarean births in the county.

Elaine Newell, a senior midwife at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, said the hospital had a particularly high rate because it was equipped to deal with complicated births.

But she said they had no explanation for the overall high rate in the county.

"We're doing a huge amount of work to bring it down," said Mrs Newell, a midwife with 18 years' experience.

"It's something we need to work at to reduce, but we acknowledge there's a balance."

She said mothers had a right to choose how to give birth, and they needed to have a safe outcome for mother and baby.

But she said cases where mothers wanted a Caesarean out of personal preference were very rare.

"Some mothers don't make progress during labour, some babies get into trouble and need to be helped along, while a few mums express a preference," said Mrs Newell.

She said midwives tried to reassure mothers if they had fears about giving birth.

"We do try to dissuade them if there's no medical reason for having a Caesarean," she said.

"Sometimes they give social reasons, but often it's fear of the unknown. If a midwife talks them through the process, that's often enough to reassure them."

Mrs Newell said mothers were told about the risks of having a Caesarean, and were warned there would be a longer recovery period.

"There's a risk with any operation, and there's a risk of blood clots with a Caesarean," she said.

"With a normal birth, there's more pain at the time but less afterwards."