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Victoria Beckham - Beckham has given birth to all four of her children through cesareans. People have criticized the method, but there is no scientific evidence to suggest it's harmful. However, it is still very painful, so it's unlikely any woman would opt for it for cosmetic purposes.
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Jennifer Lopez
- Lopez was giving birth to twins! That's a lot to push out. At first, she says that she regretted not giving natural birth to them, despite the fact that a C-section is often recommended for twins. But, when she saw her sister giving birth, she was quite content with her choice.
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Britney Spears
- Spears is one of the few stars who admits to having a C-section completely by preference. She did not want to go through the pain of childbirth, and so opted for the procedure, despite the fact that the recovery is still unpleasant.
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Kate Winslet
- Winslet was pretty shocked when she could not give birth to her daughter normally. In the hospital, they rushed her into the operating theater for an emergency C-section. She states she was speechless, feeling herself to be a failure because it hadn't worked out. Of course, it was not her fault.
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Jessica Simpson
- It's difficult giving birth in close succession–your body has to go through a lot! Many mothers ask for a C-section if their previous birth was less than a year before. Simpson had this exact case and now has three happy kiddies.
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Gwyneth Paltrow
- You may have expected this paragon of health to have had a natural birth, but she had a difficult time with her first birth that took 70 hours! She couldn't go through it again and so asked for a cesarean.
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Beyoncé
- Queen Bey had to have a cesarean with her twins Sir and Rumi. Beyoncé had developed toxemia and had to stay in bed for a whole month.
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Madonna - Madonna had to endure two C-sections for her daughter Lourdes and her son Rocco. Her daughter took too long in labor, so the doctors said it was necessary. For her son, she was diagnosed with placenta previa and so she was not able to have a natural birth.
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Gwen Stefani - Stefani had issues with most of her children's pregnancies. The birth of two were breech, which means there is too much or too little amniotic fluid. The last child was a voluntary C-section.
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Serena Williams
- Poor Williams had a very difficult time during her pregnancy. She had to have surgery when they found blood clots in her lungs. Then when she coughed, her C-section scar opened up. And if this wasn't enough, the doctors also found a hematoma in her abdomen. Luckily, her child was born healthy, but what a traumatizing experience.
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Pink
- Mama Pink wanted a home water birth but her daughter had other plans. Inside her belly, her little baby had her legs up by her head, making her almost impossible to deliver normally. A C-section was decided to be the safest course of delivery.
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Kate Mara
- The actress also had a terrible time with her child's birth. During her pregnancy, she developed cholestasis, a liver disorder that can endanger the baby. She was admitted to the hospital and induced. After three days, her high temperature caused the doctor to perform an emergency C-section.
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Mariah Carey
- At only 35 weeks, Carey's twins were introduced to the world via cesarean. She had a very difficult pregnancy and wasn't even sure if she would be able to walk again. All is fine now though, and her twins, Monroe and Moroccan, are happy kids.
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Angelina Jolie
- Jolie had a C-section for her baby John (Shiloh) Jolie-Pitt when she was in Namibia. She stated to the press that she did not find it shocking at all, but rather enjoyed the freaky experience of seeing her baby pulled out of her.
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Amy Schumer - Schumer has a painful medical history of endometriosis. She knew before she became pregnant that she would have to have a C-section, but that did not make it any easier for her. Overall, it was a painful pregnancy for her.
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Molly Sims
- The model had a rare condition called a velamentous cord insertion. This is when the umbilical cord attaches to the fetal membranes and can cause complications in the long run. Consequently, it was decided that she would have a cesarean to avoid further issues.
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Marcia Cross
- Another mother of twins, Marcia Cross contracted preeclampsia during her pregnancy. Owing to this, her blood pressure soared and a cesarean was necessary to keep her baby girls alive.
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Christina Aguilera
- Aguilera did not want to be in an emergency situation where she didn't know what was going to happen. To ensure a smooth birth, she planned a cesarean beforehand, and her baby was born happy and healthy.
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Shakira - Both of Shakira's sons, Milan and Sasha, were cesareans. Apparently she wanted a natural birth for Milan, but he was too large!
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Zoë Saldana
- Not everyone can get an epidural, and Saldana was one of the brave ones. She went into labor prematurely and had to be put to sleep with an anesthetic during the C-section. It was a whole day before she could meet her twins.
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Kate Hudson
- Hudson's body was in labor, but not responding as she needed it to. Apparently, the baby was very large and her hips were not opening as they should to let the little one out. To avoid prolonging labor, the doctors gave her a C-section.
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Elizabeth Hurley
- Elizabeth Hurley had a C-section just below her bikini line, so you cannot see the scar. It was after the doctors predicted complications with the birth of her child, Damien Hurley.
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Jenny McCarthy
- McCarthy hated her cesarean. Although her child was born healthy, the feeling of paralysis from the waist down and inability to hold her own child after waiting for months made her very sad.
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Denise Richards
- Richards had a detailed birth plan but, like many women, she had to abandon it because she went into labor earlier than expected. There were complications with the birth, and so a cesarean was deemed necessary.
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Tori Spelling
- Spelling had an unexpected C-section and reported to the media that she was angry that people thought celebrities did them on purpose. She said that recovery was so bad that no one would actively opt for a cesarean.
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Tiffany Thiessen
- Despite the agonizing 30 hours of labor, Thiessen safely gave birth to a wonderful daughter by cesarean. She states that it was the best day of her life.
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Amber Rose
- Although Amber Rose had a natural birth planned for her child, it all went haywire and she had to abandon the birth plan. A cesarean was necessary for the life of her baby Sebastian.
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Camila Alves
- The model, and Matthew McConaughey's wife, was in labor for the lengthy time of three days! Her son Levi just wouldn't come out and, finally, the doctors decided that she needed an emergency C-section. Luckily, Levi came out a healthy child. Sources: (Romper)(Mabel + Moxie) See also: Celebrity moms who hated being pregnant
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Celebs open up about their cesareans
These stars all had C-sections
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Giving birth is no easy feat. In fact, women should be given far more credit for it! Well, it's even more difficult when things do not go to plan.
The fear and expectation of the pain of childbirth, paired with the uncertainty of your baby's health, make cesarean procedures especially scary. Nevertheless, modern science means it usually works out. Some of our favorite stars have suffered very uncomfortable pregnancies, but pulled through.
And make no mistake: cesareans are not an easy thing to go through, and few would choose it over a natural birth because the recovery is so painful.
If you want to know who has been brave and survived the trials of difficult childbirths, click through this gallery to find out.
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