A committee of MPs has blamed a shortage of midwives for an increase in the number of births through caesarean section.

The health select committee has also called for action to prevent caesarean births becoming a lifestyle choice.

Forum Response: Nursing and Midwifery Council

A spokesman for the NMC told ePolitix.com: "The NMC midwifery committee has been concerned for some time that student midwives are not gaining the full breadth of experience they need due to the narrowing of options facing women in childbirth.

"Student midwives are seeing fewer natural births and fewer home births. This report is very welcome in bringing out issues of choice for women."

Forum Response: Royal College of Nursing

Carolyn Basak, midwifery and woman's health adviser at RCN, told ePolitix.com: "This is a complex issue and it's not a case of women demanding caesarean sections on the NHS. The vast majority of caesarean sections carried out on the NHS are emergencies and not on the request of women - it's much more likely that the high caesarean section rates are the result of a increasingly medicalised birth process which had led women to lose confidence in themselves and their ability to give birth normally.

"All women should have the support of a trusted midwife throughout their labour. Midwives desperately want to provide this level of care, but continuing staff shortages mean that often, continuity of carer is impossible.

"It's vital that the number of midwives is increased so that we can improve services for women and promote and protect midwifery-led care in a variety of settings. Women need to be empowered and enabled to achieve normal vaginal births without fear."