**2. Epidemiology**

Caesarean section is the most common surgical procedure. The rapid increase in caesarean deliveries without clear evidence of concomitant decreases in maternal or neonatal morbidity and mortality is a significant concern that the procedure may be overused [1]. Caesarean section rate is defined as the number of caesarean deliveries over the total number of live births and is expressed as a percentage. This is obviously the definition used which does not follow the statistical guideline, as the number the denominator should pregnancy that have reached 22 weeks and not live births as some would have had stillborns but are not included in this definition. Majority of caesarean sections are emergencies compared to elective caesarean sections. In South Africa emergency caesarean sections accounted for 80.9% of total caesarean sections [2] while in the United States of America 63% were emergencies [3].
