20 celebrity mums who have had caesarean sections

Singer Jessie J

A week after the birth of her first baby in May 2023, singer Jessie J revealed that she had a planned c-section.

Throughout her pregnancy the Flashlight singer focused on having a vaginal birth but accepted that “I knew full well it could and would most likely go in a completetly different direction.”.

Sharing to her social stories, The Voice judge wrote, “I spent 9 months preppng for a natural birth. Strict food, the epi no, yoga, swimming, hypnobirthing methods… I had a tens machine, a birthing comb, I wanted a pool birth ideally with no medication.”

The best-laid plans.. especially birth plans…

“BUT this was MY plan to stay disciplined and focued.”

Sky Safir Cornish Colman decided “Nah mum I wanna make an entrance out the roof, not the front door.”

“I was advised to have a planned C section for the safest birth. This video was taken 5 minutes before I went down to surgery.”

Watch a heavily pregnant Jessie J dancing in the video clip below…

TV personality Alex Nation

Alex Nation delivered her third baby, daughter Pearl, via ‘belly birth’, saying that “her entrance was pure magic”.

A week after the birth of Alex’s second child with Carson Jory, the proud mama shared candid, beautiful photos of her new baby’s entry earthside.

Alongside the black and white photos, the former Bachie contestant wrote: “Pearl showed me how incredibly beautiful and powerful a belly birth can be.

I will always treasure this 🤍”

Olympian, yoga, author & podcast host Libby Trickett

Libby Trickett had her fourth baby, son Alfred, in June 2023. The Olympic swimmer has three daughters and her third labour resulted in a caesarean to safely deliver baby Bronte.

“I had hopes of doing a VBAC this time around,” Libby shared to her Instagram. “But due to a few complicating factors, I’ve decided to book in for an elective caesarean birth.”

After delivering Poppy, who is now 7, the newly qualified yoga teacher felt like she had failed because, while she had a vaginal birth, she didn’t get the drug-free experience she was hoping for. “What an idiot. 🙃” she says now.

“Every birth experience is WILDLY different. Every birth experience is challenging and rewarding in lots of different ways. But each one is unique and NONE are a failure.”

The 38yo goes on to say that she’d prefer a vaginal birth as she felt the recovery was easier for her with daughters Edwina ‘Eddie’ (5yo) and Bronte (3yo), but she acknowledges that that’s not true for every mum.

“It’s funny because I had assumed that I’d be really disappointed about that, but actually I mostly feel relieved that I have a date to work towards and excited that I have a date to work towards.”

Tennis ace Serena Williams

In 2023, athlete Serena Williams gave birth to her second daughter, Adira River. She hasn’t disclosed whether she had a C-section however her first birth was complicated.

In 2018, the tennis champ had “had a pretty easy pregnancy” but her “daughter was born by emergency C-section after her heart rate dropped dramatically during contractions,” Serena posted.

While Olympia was safely delivered, her athlete mum suffered a pulmonary embolism “which is a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot” that ultimately saw her “spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed.”

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow endured 70 hours of labour to give birth to her daughter Apple, with ex-husband Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and opted for a c-section with their son, Moses.

Singer Beyoncé

When Beyoncé gave birth to the twins Rumi and Sir she experienced complications and delivered them via emergency c-section in June 2017.

“We spent many weeks in the NICU. [Jay-Z] was a soldier and such a strong support system for me,” she later told Vogue. “I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later.”

“Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery. I am not sure everyone understands that. I needed time to heal, to recover.”

By contrast, the couple’s first daughter, Blue Ivy “was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives,” Bey said in 2012.

Singer Paloma Faith

Paloma Faith was praised by her fans for her raw account of her her elective c-section in 2021.

Sharing a snap of herself in theatre before the c-section delivery of her second daughter, the ‘Only love can hurt like this’ singer wrote: “I had a planned c section yesterday. I’m in a lot of pain and didn’t sleep last night but it’s worth it to see and meet the new little cherub I have in front of me.”

In 2016, the mum suffered had a traumatic first birth, which resulted in an emergency section to deliver her daughter, and she went on to  experience PND. This time around, Paloma underwent six rounds of IVF to conceive her second child.

The singer went on to say: “It’s been about 30 hours and already I’m exhausted, sore and my nipples are on fire with a baby piranha that wants to kill me on them every few hours, but I am of course elated! Lost a litre of blood and I’m in so much pain despite the pain killers.”

Singer Pink

While Pink had anticipated a water birth to deliver her first child, Willow, in 2011, the singer explained that her baby girl “had other plans”.

“She was in the frank breech position, which is head up with her legs up by her head in a pike position,” she told People.  “We tried everything to turn her around.”

The Trustfall singer says “it all turned out perfectly in the end, even though it wasn’t what we intended, because she is healthy and happy and so am I.”

Pink’s second child, Jameson Moon was born in 2016.

Actress and philanthropist Angelina Jolie

As well as three adopted children, Angelina Jolie has three biological children, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne, who were all born via c-section.

Shiloh was breech, and  born by a c-section in Namibia in 2006. Angelina’s twins Knox and Vivienne were born in the same way in 2008.

The actress and humanitarian later said, “I had a C-section, and I found it fascinating. I didn’t find it a sacrifice, and I didn’t find it a painful experience. I found it a fascinating miracle of what a body can do.”

Actress Kate Winslet

Devastatingly, in 2000, actress Kate Winslet felt such shame at having had a c-section with her first child that she pretended she’d had a vaginal birth.

It was only she had a vaginal birth with her second child Joe, in 2003, that she revealed that Mia had been born by caesarean.

“I’ve never talked about this – I’ve gone to great pains to cover it up. But Mia was an emergency C-section,” she said. “I just said that I had a natural birth because I was so completely traumatised by the fact that I hadn’t given birth. I felt like a complete failure.”

Fashion designer Victoria Beckham

‘Spice Girl’ turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham has four children and delivered them all via c-sections. Brooklyn (1999), Romeo (2002), Cruz (2005) and Harper (2011) were all born by elective caesareans.

The wife of football legend David Beckham was slated as being ‘too posh to push’, however, because of her slim frame and narrow hips, it was the safest option.

Singer Christina Aguilera

Popstar Christina Aguilera opted for a c-section with her first born child, Max, in 2013.

The singer, who was married to Jordan Bratman at the time, was reported as planning a caesarean as she “didn’t want any surprises”. The fear of a long labour leading to a section also helped make the decision.

Her second child, daughter Summer – with her fiance Matthew Rutler – was born by caesarean in 2014.

Singer Britney Spears

Another star who didn’t “want to go through the pain” was Britney Spears.

The Toxic singer’s sons Sean (17) and Jayden (16) with her ex-husband and back-up dancer Kevin Federline, were both born by elective sections.

Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez

When Jennifer Lopez found out she was expecting twins – Emme and Max – it was recommended that she have planned c-section.

At first the megastar felt cheated…”But when I saw my sister pushing that baby out, I was like, ‘Maybe this was all right! Maybe this was a better out.’ So that was an experience.”

The twins were born in 2008 when JLo was married to her then-husband Marc Anthony.

TV personality Laurina Fleure

Laurina Fleure who starred in Blake Garvey’s season of The Bachelor in 2014, welcomed Bastian Bear Black in 2022, by c-section.

“We had to opt for C section because Bastian’s heart rate was dropping with every contraction,” she wrote.

“It wasn’t until they pulled him out & realised there was a “true knot” in his umbilical cord that was causing it. The contractions were cutting off his oxygen bc of the knot!”

Model, author and influencer Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend welcomed their third child in January 2023.  Daughter Esti Maxine was born via c-section.

Esti’s birth followed the devastating loss of the couple’s unborn baby Jack in 2020, due to a partial placental abruption.

Chrissy wrote: “She’s here! Esti Maxine Stephens – the house is bustling and our family could not be happier. Daddy sheds nightly tears of joy seeing Luna and Miles so full of love, and I am learning you still need diapers with a c section!? We are in bliss. Thank you for all the love and well wishes – we feel it all! X

Fitness influencer Kayla Itsines

Fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsines shared the news of the little one’s arrival on Instagram, 32-year-old, Kayla revealed that she and her now husband Jae Woodroffe had welcomed a baby boy.

“Words absolutely cannot describe this feeling. We are SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW,” she wrote alongside images showing she had a caesarean-section birth.

“We went into hospital around 6:30am on the 5th of January. He was out in the world by 8:45am weighing 3.5kgs (7.72 pounds),” she continued.

“The most amazing thing, as he was coming out, out of nowhere on a completely random playlist the hospital was playing, Jae’s dads funeral song started playing over the speakers.”

The 32yo shares three-year-old daughter, Arna Leia Pearce, with her ex-partner Toby Pearce.

Actress Tammin Sursok

Having had a c-section with her furst daughter, Phoenix, Home and Away star Tammin Sursok was adamant that she wanted a vaginal birth with her second daughter, Lennon.

The Pretty Little Liars actress who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, fought against medical advice and hoped her baby would turn into a good position for birth.

Thankfully Tammin felt instinctively that something was wrong and agreed to the procedure – later being told it had probably saved both their lives as Lennon was close to rupturing the previous c-section scar.

Actress and comedian Amy Schumer

Doctors were amazed that actress and comedian Amy Schumer could carry a baby due to the severity of her endometriosis.

The I Feel Pretty actress welcomed her son Gene via c-section in 2019, in part due to the painful and debilitating condition.

After suffering hyperemesis gravidarum while pregnant with Gene, Amy then underwent traumatic IVF treatment in an attempt to add to their family.

Nature called time, and Amy froze her eggs for the future.

Endometriosis meant Amy had to have her uterus removed, which means it’s unlikely she’ll be able to carry another child.

Businesswoman Tegan Kynaston

Radio ‘shock jock’ Kyle Sandiland’s now wife Tegan Kynaston delivered baby Otto Dalton Sandilands by c-section in August 2022, weighing in at just under three kilos.

New dad Kyle found the birth terrifying but said that “The baby’s perfect, everything’s wonderful” and went on to say they’re just staring at Otto “like goons”.