The controversial c-section has been gaining much popularity over the years despite its risks and complications. Many prefer this birthing procedure over the conventional 'natural birth' that mankind has been gifted with for eons for different reasons. Some opt for c-sections by choice to avoid the pain and agony of pushing the baby out.

Others have no choice but to resort to c-sections due to health complications (ie. breech babies) and some others end up having emergency c sections when their cervix fails to open during labor or their health condition demands it. In either case, the c-section is a valid birth option for any mom who chooses to birth their baby this way or whether they need it as a medical necessity.

While many disapprove of c sections, a majority of celebrities have been seen to embrace it. Some for health reasons and others due to their personal preferences (many reason that c sections help preserve their pre pregnancy bodies better.) My science fails me because as far as I know it's the pregnancy itself that will end up distorting our once almost perfect bodies and not the actual delivery itself.

So who are the Hollywood celebs who have undergone the knife to give birth to their children? Well the list is quite extensive  but we have narrowed it down to the top 15 celebrities who have somewhat glamorized c sections. And who are these hot mammas you may ask. Well...here they are tadaaaaa!

15 Victoria Beckham

Hot on the list of c sec celebrity mama's would be the one and only Victoria Beckham. The former Spice Girl (you know, the one who posed more than she sang) turned Mrs David Beckham (you know that extremely hot footballer who turns you on with his hot body and even hotter face, but turns you off with his pre puberty voice) turned renowned and respected fashion designer.

Being particularly posh and stylish and ever conscious of her physical appearance, Mrs Beckham famously opted for c sections for all of her four children. This is the woman who coined the term," too posh to push."

Now before we all gasp and faint, let it be known that Victoria Beckham opted to go for a c-section for her first child due to her narrow pelvis which probably means that baby Brooklyn's head would have been a wee bit too big to travel through the natural rite of passage (oh the horror of having to get a celebrity mum to push harder).

The rest is history. With the first child being born via c-section, the rest of her deliveries were also safer to be carried out in the same way lest her previous c-section scars 'ruptured' from natural delivery.

14 Britney Spears

Next up would be former Mouseketeer and teen pop queen, Britney Spears. This lady has bravely admitted to choosing elective cesarean section over natural birth. While she has been in the pink of health all this while (sans her head shaving episode and a stint in rehab), Ms Spears preferred to go under the knife for the birth of both her sons.

The reason? Her mother. According to gossip magazines, her mother had relayed to Britney the excruciating pain and hardship of natural birth so much so that it left a deep impression on the then very young Britney. So without wanting to endure what her mother went through (after all, mothers know best), she decided to go straight for C Sec and not bother herself with all the worries and possible complications of natural birth.

Fans and critics alike have applauded her first her stance and decisiveness. Others have scorned and made butt jokes out of her decision. But hey, it's her body. Not yours or mine so who on earth are we to judge right? Whatever makes these bonafide stars comfortable, right?

13 Christina Aguilera

Another former Mouseketeer and former judge of The Voice is also another celebrity who chose c section over natural birth. Her reasons for c-section are quite similar to her old friend/rival, citing that she did not want any vaginal tearing or having emergency c-sections that would give her emotional and physical stress. A planned c section would have little to no surprises and that was how the song bird wanted it.

Besides, with c sections, she got to choose the birth dates of both her children and to be able to push the dates earlier (with the approval of her gynaecologist of course) so as to 'get it done and over with'. Such is the privilege of being a celebrity mum, no one tells you 'no'. You get to decide on your children's birthdays.

How cool is that? Nevermind that the recovery period would take longer, the songstress had a team ready to help take care of her babies while she recuperated and another team to care for her children while she got back into shape.

12 Madonna

The undisputed queen of pop, the one and only Madonna is also another celebrity who had c-section. While this tough woman (you cannot deny that she went through a lot during her youth), initially wanted to have a natural birth for her daughter Lourdes with the soundtrack from the film 'The Moderns' blasting in the background as a cheerleading song, she eventually ended up with a c-section.

Madonna spent a hard 12 hours of labour and eventually had to admit defeat when the doctor suggested her to have emergency c section in the end. It was so bad for the pop chameleon and multiple award hitmaker so much so that she had to be sedated prior to the surgery.

And rumor has it that after the sedation took effect and right before she was wheeled into the operation theatre, she blurted out to everyone good bye and said that she was going to get her nose done. And who knows? Maybe she really did get her nose done at the same time the c sec took place. Heh, kidding.

11 Angelina Jolie

Former Tomb Raider and Mrs Pitt (such a shame, they made a wonderful couple. I was rooting for them to grow old together) had her daughter, Shiloh via c-section as well. While Ms Jolie might have had preferred to have a natural birth, her baby decided to up the ante by being breeched.

So in a little hospital in Africa (The hospital's description was more to a cozy little cottage), Ms Jolie had her baby with the help of an American doctor, a Namibian doctor, and anaesthetist and a pediatrician. And there little Shiloh was born.

She later described the experience as 'fascinating' and 'exciting' and claimed that she didn't feel less a woman or a mother for having a c-section instead of a natural birth (which in her case would have been extremely difficult given her baby's position). And since the first experience with c-section went without a hitch, she opted for elective cesarean as well for both her twins, Knox and Vivienne.

10 Jennifer Lopez

Probably more famous for her butt than her singing (no offense, this lady has a sexy butt), Jennifer Lopez, affectionately called J Lo by many had initially opted for elective cesarean, preferring to have everything smoothly planned put and not wanting to go through all the labor pains.

But mother nature had a wicked sense of humor and Ms Lopez went into early labor, just one freaking day before her scheduled c-section. And because of that everything went haywire. She did not get the luxury to do her hair, prep herself mentally and enjoy the process.

Instead, the doctors had to wheel her into the emergency ward and perform an extremely frantic c-section. Suffice to say, she did not have a good time.

So ladies, if you opt for elective cesarean by choice, try not to choose a date that is too near your estimated delivery. Just to be on the safe side.

9 Kate Winslet

Star of the Titanic (and much debated survivor since many claimed the plank of wood could have carried both Jack and Rose, what? You've never watched the Titanic? Shame on you! Go grab some tissues and glue your eyes to the tv screen right now) Kate Winslet absolutely hated her c-section.

This multitalented actress had initially planned for a natural birth, but things went horribly wrong on the day of delivery so Ms Winslet ended up having an emergency Caesarean surgery which she claimed to be an extremely traumatic experience. It made her feel as if she had not given birth at all and therefore she felt like a complete failure.

Come the second pregnancy, she was adamant to having a natural birth, by hook or by crook. And finally after fourteen long torturing hours of labour (she had epidural to help with the pain), she managed to birth get second child Joe naturally and all her feelings of inadequacy were buried. She was quoted saying that the natural birth gave her a a sense triumph, something that the c section did not give.

8 Pink

Next up on the c section celebrity mom list is...tadaaaaa! Pink! Who by the way sports neither pink hair, nor pink accessories nor sings anything related to the color pink. At any rate, the birth of her first child was done via c-section. Although this pop star had initially planned to deliver her daughter Willow via natural birth, but because her then fetus ended up being a breech baby, Pink had no choice but to go for c section.

Some women can still deliver a breech baby, but usually doctors suggest a c-section for the baby's safety. Still her experience with c section was not as traumatic as it was for Kate Winslet. Apparently Pink's motto was 'get it done by hook or by crook' and since her child turned out just fine and dandy, she ended up still a happy and satisfied mummy.

7 Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn is ever the realist. Ms Hudson had initially opted to deliver her baby the natural way, via the birth canal, but as fate would have it, she went into labor two weeks earlier but somehow the labor did not progress. Her hips just were not opening and she wasn't dilating. The doctor had told her to go back home and 'wait a little while more'.

Tired of the idea of having to fight her way through the paparazzi just to get back home and then drive all the way to the hospital again, Ms Hudson put her feet down and insisted that they pull out her baby right there and then. She did not want to bother making another trip to the hospital. And because of that, her child Ryder, was born via c-section. Simple as that. No sweat.

6 Marcia Cross

The bewitching redhead from Desperate Housewives too is a c-section celebrity. Not that she wanted to be one. It was just that she somehow carried a pair of fraternal twins and as you know, c-section is always recommended for mothers with twins, which celebrity would want to go through labor pains twice?

A normal citizen of the country would already freak out at that thought, what more to say celebrity mins who have to maintain their picture perfect image?

However, Ms Cross was quoted confessing that she did not enjoy the c-section procedure at all. The reason being, the kids came out too fast for her to absorb the 'birthing' process or to actually 'feel like she was giving birth.'

She had thought that she would have the time to savor meeting her babies one at a time but had no idea that the doctor would pull out the second one almost immediately after the first. What? Did she think that the doctor would go for a cup if tea while she bonded with the first twin? Duh.

5 Jenny McCarthy

Jenny, TV host, actress, anti vaccine activist and also sister in law to Mark Wahlberg regretted having c-section big time. She had initially thought the c section would be a breeze and that it would not affect her emotionally, but boy was she wrong.

With the epidural working its wonders, Ms Jenny had no way to sit up and hold her child in her arms and instead she could feel nothing from the waist down. The experience was described as 'horrible' with her quoting that all she wanted to do was to hold her baby in her arms, but that she couldn't because she was strapped down with all the intravenous tubes stuck to her hands.

Somehow it feels good to know that celebrities too have their ups and downs like the rest of us. So ladies, bear in mind that even if one does opt for elective cesarean, the experience might not be a pleasant one even if the procedure went without a hitch. It all boils down to how mentally prepared you are for c sec.

4 Claudia Schiffer

Supermodel and wife to Matthew Vaughn also gave birth via c-section. Rumor has it that the planned caeserean was under the doctor's advice as the top model had previously crushed her feet. How a crushed feet relates to caeserean remains one of the world's greatest mysteries to yours truly. Should anyone know the reason why, please feel free to shed some light.

But back to Ms Schiffer. Since natural birth was no longer an option, she opted for a planned caeserean which thankfully went smoothly without any hiccups. Still, some gossip magazines claim that Ms Schiffer would have preferred to deliver her child the natural way. The truth will only be known to the Vaughn family.

However, many have supported the fact that so long as one's child comes out healthy then one should be grateful. There is nothing more important than a happy healthy child who did not suffer any 'shock or stress ' (which can contribute to them developing colic)  when being pushed out of the mother's vagina.

3 Julia Roberts

The Pretty Woman star and Oscar winner had her pair of twins via c section. Not that she wanted to, but as with twin babies and premature birth, one usually ends up under the table and a knife.

Ms Roberts had been warned that changes were she would be giving birth prematurely to get pair of twins and was under strict order to stay in bed (ie- don't move a muscle lady, just lay in bed and bore yourself for the next few months and drive yourself nuts counting sheep) a month or two prior to giving birth.

But it seemed like her twin boy and girl couldn't wait to make the entrance and decided to say hello to mamma before their due date, so Ms Roberts had to check herself into the hospital, undergo epidural and have her abdomen sliced open before being sewn back up. Not that the woman is complaining.

While it might have been slightly uncomfortable and a little unnerving, she has been blessed with two healthy and beautiful children (premies are considered to be weaker and tend to fall sick more often than full term babies. It gets even worse when you have twins, but Ms Roberts' babies have reportedly fine very well despite being born prematurely. Either they were born extremely healthy tots or being a celebrity has its advantages).

2 Denise Richards

Star of the erotic Wild Things movie and former wife of Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards had initially tried to outsmart mother nature by scheduling the delivery of her baby via c-section. But lo and behold, it was as if her body knew what was coming and decided to challenge her into delivering her baby the natural way and had her go into labor one day before the scheduled delivery. One freaking day earlier. Talk about hitting the jackpot.

Still, Ms Richards would not succumb to nature and still went ahead with the c-section, albeit probably in a less orderly way. Imagine all the pain from the contractions and still having to hold it in for the epidural and warrior the doctors to prep themselves before taking out your child. Oh, the suspense and frustration. Still she ended up with a healthy and beautiful children so no complaints from Ms Richards there.

1 Tori Spelling

Aaaaaaand joining the list of celebrities who had their bellies sliced (thankfully not diced) would be the one and only Tori Spelling. Famed daughter of Aaron Spelling who produced the 90s cult favorite, Beverly Hills 90210. And in case us 80s babies do not remember, Tori Spelling played the innocent, but very disciplined girl who insisted on maintaining her virginity until she got married.

But back to reality, Ms Spelling, who had three previous deliveries via c-section found herself pregnant again just one month after giving birth to the third child (through Caesarean section). Wow, most of us wouldn't even dream of having anything to do with our spouses for at least a few months after surgery (with all the baby wailing in the background and the number or tingling feeling of the c-section scar) who would have any mood for an intercourse?

But Ms Spelling proved us wrong. Heh. However, because she conceived again so fast without having rested her womb, she developed placenta previa, resulting in her spending three whole months in the hospital due to excessive bleeding. All ended up well though and now the actress is a proud mother of five. Yes, five, not four. She had another child after the fourth one.

The brush with death experience did not deter her from expanding her brood. Most of us would just cringe in horror. You go girl!

References : Ibabble, Celebritybabyscoop