The hospitals where wealthy mothers are too posh to push and up to a third of babies are delivered by caesarean section As many as one in three new babies in Chelsea born by caesarean section But only one in 20 mothers shun natural birth in Barnsley, Yorkshire Rich mothers are more likely to give birth by cesarean section than women from poorer areas, new figures have revealed. Stats show the more wealthy the postcode, the more likely it is women will shun the traditional method of childbirth, giving weight to the theory that some mothers really are 'too posh to push'. The highest cesarean section rates were recorded at University College London and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Trusts, where one in three births involved surgery, well above the national average of one in four. Surgeons perform a caesarean section (file picture). Figures have shown women from richer postcodes are much more likely to opt for that form of childbirth than their counterparts in poorer areas Poorer areas like Doncaster and London had much lower rates. King George Hospital in east London delivered fewer than one in 10 babies by caesarean section and scandal-hit Stafford Hospital one in six. Janet Fyle, midwife adviser at the Royal College of Midwives, told the Daily Telegraph she would like to see the number of operations come down but supported the mother's right to choose. 'I do not think it is only 'too posh to push', she said. Some women are fearful of labour and giving birth. Sometimes this is from experience. The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in Fulham Road, London. One in three mothers elect to shun natural childbirth there But it's a different story at Barnsley Hospital where the figure is just one in 20 The statistics combine elective caesareans, when the mother chooses the procedure in advance, and emergency ones required when there are complications during labour. Critics suggest mothers in more affluent areas request the operations to avoid the experience of natural birth. Delivering a baby by caesarean section costs the NHS about £2,600, more than double the £1,200 cost of a natural birth. Research shows having a caesarean section makes women three times more likely to need a hysterectomy after their next pregnancy, and raises the risk of death, blood clots and breathing problems in infants. Portland Hospital, Surrey - 35 per cent Chelsea and Westminster Hospital - 15.8% University College Hospital, London - 15% Northampton General Hospital - 13.9% Kingston Hospital - 13.5% Barnsley Hospital - 5.3 per cent Stafford Hospital - 5.7% Bassetlaw Hospital, Doncaster - 6.2% University Hospital, Southampton - 6.2% Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn - 6.3% At Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, which lies in one of the wealthiest areas of London, one in six surgical births were performed by choice rather than in an emergency. In some private hospitals the rate is even higher. At Portland hospital in Surrey, more than half of births last year were caesarean section and over a third of them elective. The national average for elective surgery is one in 10, and in some hospitals such as Barnsley in South Yorkshire, as low as one in 20. The figures for 2011-12 showed the overall caesarean section rate rose 0.2 per cent despite guidance issued in late 2011 saying mothers should have the freedom to choose how they give birth. The operation was more common in older women, with one in three mothers over the age of 35 having a caesarean section compared with fewer than one in six under the age of 25.