Why do so many Hollywood stars have cesarean births versus regular delivery? Is it because celebs get tummy tucks at the same time as the birth? (Is that even possible?)
—Elena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The B!tch Replies: Many pregnant women—famous and otherwise—often beg their ob-gyns for a little tummy flattening during their C-section, experts tell this B!tch. But even the furious, harpy-like will of a Spice Girl or a Wisteria Lane denizen wouldn't be scary enough for a responsible doc to perform a tummy-tuck right after a C-section. Whether the patient is a celebrity or not, it's just too dangerous for most surgeons to attempt.
"The chances of infection are too high, for one," says Dr. Randy A. Fink, a Miami-based fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "And the muscles have yet to recover. I wouldn't do it, and I don't know many others who would."
Then again, it is technically possible for a doc to tame that small jelly roll that often surfaces on the belly during a pregnancy—maybe smooth that out while delivering the li'l nipper. But even then, it's still way dangerous, says Fink, who has delivered celebrity spawn.
"I'm sure that's being done," he tells me. "But I have never done it, and you can really mess someone up that way."
Still, there are plenty of other reasons why so many celebrity moms are opting for C-sections.
Stars such as Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Victoria Beckham and Kate Hudson have all had them.
Denise Richards famously booked a cesarean birth to coincide with then husband Charlie Sheen's hiatus from shooting Two and a Half Men. (Nicole Richie, however, is generally believed to have given birth to Harlow the old-fashioned way.)
The reasons for seeking a C-section in advance are myriad: avoiding possible complications that come with a long vaginal delivery, protecting pelvic muscles and other key parts and ensuring that the arrival of a child will not interfere with the mother's precious schedule.
The other major reason: twinnage. If a star is hosting two proto-Jolies—and that seems to be happening quite a bit, these days—ob-gyns will often recommend a C-section to ensure safer deliveries. And it's all about safety, right? Right.
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