Many mothers know that they have different options when it comes to giving birth. And while some go as perfectly planned, others don’t. After endless hours of pushing, many new moms end up getting an emergency C-section for one reason or another. And then there are the women who schedule their C-sections before arriving at the hospital, because of either a pre-existing condition or because they don’t want to deal with the hassle or the unexpected pain and drama that comes with giving birth naturally.

Of course, celebrity mothers are no different although there are a number that have varying reasons as to why they opt to have C-sections instead of natural births. In fact, some have even admitted that they would rather put themselves and their own needs ahead of their unborn child.

They don’t want to deal with the changes that the body goes through after giving birth through the vaginal canal and that’s why they opt to have scheduled C-sections. That, and most are absolutely terrified of the pain women have to go through while giving birth. Just ask Jennifer Lopez, who decided that she wanted to have a C-section just because she witnessed first hand what her sister had to go through during her own birthing experience. And according to Jennifer, she simply didn’t want to deal with the same thing!

15 Jennifer Lopez - There's A Better Way

Jennifer Lopez admitted that one of the reasons why she chose to have a C-section when she welcomed her twins Emme and Max back in 2008 is because she witnessed just how painful and horrifying her own sister’s natural birth was. That’s why when she found out that she was expecting twins with her then husband Marc Anthony, she knew a C-section was the only option for her.

She said, “But when I saw my sister pushing that baby out, I was like, 'Maybe this was all right! Maybe this was a better out.' So that was an experience."

Luckily, being a mother has changed Jennifer and made her less of a diva. At least, that’s what she believes. “There’s nothing as huge as giving birth to another human being and having to be responsible for another life. There’s you before kids, and there’s you after kids – and they’re not the same as you.”

14 Denise Richards - Fit Into The Schedule

Rumor has it that Denise Richards scheduled a C-section to work around her ex-husband Charlie Sheen’s schedule. She booked a cesarean birth to coincide with then husband Charlie Sheen's hiatus from shooting Two and a Half Men. The ex-couple share custody of two children, their daughters Sam and Lola.

Unfortunately, Denise went into labor a day before her scheduled surgery. Despite the timing, she ended up having a C-section. Still, a lot of fans couldn’t help but wonder why she would choose to schedule a C-section to please her husband Charlie and his work schedule. Apparently, Charlie wanted to be there every step of the way but as we all know too well, he and Denise ended up separating in what was a very bitter and public divorce battle. Denise so far hasn’t given an explanation to her decision or whether or not she would do that again. Denise ended up adopting her third child, her daughter Eloise.

13 Gwen Stefani - It Was Just Gross

Gwen Stefani is one of the coolest, most stylish women in the entertainment world but apparently after she gave birth to her second child Zuma back in 2008, she felt “gross” so much so that she had to put her career on hold for some time. In fact, she even had a difficult time writing music. And while she hasn’t specified why, Gwen gave birth to all three of her sons via C-section. It’s been reported that she didn’t want to deal with the aches and pains that are associated with giving birth naturally. That, and she wanted to bounce back quickly so she could focus on her career again. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen after she and her ex-husband Gavin Rossdale welcomed Zuma.

Gwen recalled, “I hadn’t planned on doing a tour; I’d had Zuma, I felt so gross — I got so big and felt so out of touch and not cool. I was trying to write this cool record and nothing came out.”

12 Victoria Beckham - Too Posh To Push

Victoria Beckham shares four children with her husband David Beckham: Brooklyn, 19, Romeo, 14, Cruz, 12, and 6-year-old Harper Seven. And with all four of her children, she’s had C-sections. In fact, a lot of her critics have criticized her for being responsible for the phrase “too posh to push.”

Much has been made of Victoria Beckham’s numerous Caesareans, which, she has always insisted, were not due to her being ‘too posh to push’ but because of an unspecified medical issue. Though some have criticized her for it, there’s insufficient evidence to suggest cesareans are worse than vaginal deliveries. So far Victoria herself has not made any comments about the “too posh to push” controversy, nor has she given a reason as to why she chose to have C-sections over a natural birth. The fashion designer did hint though that she and her husband David are done having children for now.

11 Christina Aguilera - No Surprises

Chart topper Christina Aguilera has two children – her son Max from her relationship with Jordan Bratman and her daughter Summer Rain with her current partner Matthew Rutler. She’s made it no secret over the years that her body and her appearance are very important to her and that’s why she chose to have a C-section rather than give birth naturally.

Back in 2008 Christina opted to give birth via C-section and again for the birth of her daughter in 2015. Another reason why she had a C-section is simply because she didn’t want any vaginal tearing. She also reportedly said that she didn’t want to have “any surprises” and that’s why she chose to have an elective, scheduled caesarean section. So far she hasn’t made any comment on whether or not she plans on having a third child and if she plans on having a third C-section.

10 Bethenny Frankel - Thirty Hour Labor

Bethenny Frankel initially wanted to give birth the natural way, but unfortunately nothing worked as she planned back when she gave birth to her daughter Bryn in 2010. The ‘Real Housewives of New York’ star says that she endured 30 hours of labor before her doctor recommended a C -section to bring baby Bryn into the world. And for the reality television star, it was just too much for her to deal with.

And while she and her ex-husband Jason Hoppy were both nervous and excited about the birth of their first daughter, Bethenny just wanted to get the entire ordeal over with. In fact, she was back to work and exercising in no time. She even taped a reunion episode of ‘The Real Housewives of New York’ two weeks after giving birth. And her experience in the hospital was anything but pleasant. “All I wanted was a bagel and the doctor [told me] I couldn’t eat,” she recalls. “And for two days, I couldn’t.”

9 Gabrielle Reece - No VBACs Allowed

As a professional athlete, Ganrielle Reece was determined to get back into tip-top shape after giving birth to her two children. And considering that she doesn’t have much time on her hands, she opted to have emergency C-sections after her births didn’t go as planned.

Gabrielle had a C-section for the birth of her two daughters, Reece and Brody. Her daughter Reece Viola was born after 17 hours of labor and two of failed pushing, and according to Gabrielle at the time, she said: "in Hawaii they don’t like to do VBACs (vaginal birth after caesarean)." That’s why she had a C-section.

As an athlete, she started to get back in shape only three weeks after the surgery. Yet, many medical professionals suggest that mothers wait a minimum of six weeks before hitting the gym again. Having had a C-section, the volleyball player knew she had to take it easy, but the athlete in her couldn’t wait to exercise again.

8 Brooke Shields - Nothing Went As Planned

Hollywood actress and model Brooke Shields is a double C-section recipient, and she has no reason not to be honest about it. When Brooke finally got pregnant again after in vitro fertilization the “Suddenly Susan” star was delighted. But never in a million years did she think that her first birth experience would have been as horrible as it was. Having labored for 24 hours before an emergency C-section with her first daughter, Rowan she elected to have a C-section with her second daughter, Grier. That’s because she didn’t want to deal with the drama and pain she had to deal with while giving birth to Rowan.

Brooke’s water broke at home around 8:30 p.m. on May 14, 2003. Her husband Chris rushed her to New York University Medical Center. "I had to go through 24 hours of labor with Rowan, only to need an emergency C-section in the end," she said. "Grier's scheduled C-section, on the other hand, went exactly as planned."

7 Patricia Heaton - Always Camera Ready

Everyone remembers Patricia Heaton as the sharp-tongued yet caring and loving mother on the hit CBS sitcom, ‘Everyone Loves Raymond.’ In one episode, her character almost gave birth to her twins inside a car! Luckily, Patricia didn’t have to deal with a similar experience in her own life, but she did admit that her birth experience was anything but pleasant.

As a matter of fact, Patricia said the experience was so traumatic on her body that she opted to have a tummy tuck when she was done having children. As a Hollywood actress in the entertainment world, Patricia wanted to make sure that her body and appearance was camera ready. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case after she gave birth to her four sons, Joseph Charles, John Basil, Daniel Patrick, and Samuel David. That’s why she opted to have a procedure done after her fourth and final child because she couldn’t look at the sight of her stomach. She said, "My stomach looked like a map of the world."

6 Kate Hudson - The Lazy Way Out

Kate Hudson admitted that she had trouble with the paparazzi when she went into labor with her first son Ryder. And because of all the drama outside of her hospital, she wanted to give birth to her son Ryder as fast as possible so she could go home with her newborn son. That’s why made a last minute decision to have a C-section rather than give birth naturally, although that was her initial plan at the time.

Kate recalled, “The doctor said I could go home, but it was such a pain in the butt to get to the hospital because we were being stalked by photographers. I said, ‘I just don't want to do this again. Let's just have a C-section.’ And so I got drugged up."

Kate, who also has a son named Bing, recently made headlines for going on the record to say that having a C-section was the laziest thing she’s ever done in her life.

5 Gwyneth Paltrow - Twice Would Be Too Much

Gwyneth Paltrow is one celebrity mom and Hollywood actress that went the distance while giving birth to her first child, her daughter Apple back in 2005 with her ex-husband Chris Martin. It was so bad that she elected to have a C-section the second time around. After more than 70 hours of labor before giving birth to Apple, Gwyneth Paltrow opted for a C-section to bring her son Moses in the world.

Gwyneth even said she felt euphoric after giving birth to Moses although she didn’t go into much detail about her experience giving birth with Apple, though. The actress explained: "The most euphoria I have ever experienced was having a baby - and that's something most women can and will experience in their lives. I think God did a good job with that one. That the most satisfying human experience out there is available to just about everyone who wants it."

4 Mariah Carey - Tucking It In

Back in 2014, Mariah Carey honestly admitted that she never thought she would have kids. She and her ex-husband Nick Cannon welcomed their fraternal twins Monroe and Moroccan back in 2011. The diva told Out magazine, "I never, ever thought I was going to have kids - ever. I remember as a child, saying, 'I'm never going to get married; I'm never going to have kids.'"

Although never confirmed, many insiders believe that there was a real reason why it took Mariah Carey so long to make her first appearance after she gave birth to her twins. The diva gained about 70 pounds during her pregnancy. And because of her weight gain, she wanted to make sure that she looked perfect before making her first public appearance. That’s why she apparently scheduled a tummy tuck right after her C-section. Some even believe that she was in the hospital for a month after she gave birth to her kids.

3 Britney Spears - No Pain Here

Britney Spears has two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, with her ex-partner Kevin Federline. She gave birth to her sons back in 2005 and 2006. And the ‘Baby Hit Me One More Time’ star says the only reason why she chose to have a C-section is because she didn’t want to deal with all the pain and suffering that comes with giving birth naturally.

In the October 2005 issue of Elle magazine, Spears said she'd prefer to have a C-section, and if that wasn't an option, "I'll be like, 'Epidural, please!' ... I don't want to go through the pain."

Many of Britney’s fans were surprised that she chose to have a C-section because she was so scared about the pain. After all, she is one of the hardest working entertainers and dancers in the entertainment world. Britney has so far made no additional comments about her C-section experience and whether or not she would be open to having a third child.

2 Elizabeth Hurley - A Stalker Situation

According to reports, British actress and model Elizabeth Hurley had some drama when she delivered Damian Charles via a scheduled C-section in London back in 2002. Reports at the time indicated that her procedure was, "both swift (one hour) and tidy (the incision was made just below the model-mom's bikini line)."

One of the reasons why she was probably in a rush was because her alleged stalker was on the loose and apparently spent several days outside her Chelsea townhouse. She certainly didn’t want to deal with the drama and uncertainty of a natural delivery in the hospital with the potential threat of her stalker waiting outside of the hospital for her. Thankfully, her stalker Petar Mihajlovic, 32, who had left notes in Hurley’s mail slot and received a written warning from police in December, was charged with harassment and denied bail. Hurley and her son Damian managed to leave the hospital both happy and healthy.

1 Angelina Jolie - It Was Fascinating

Angelina Jolie welcomed her now 11-year-old daughter Shiloh back in 2006 and her 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008 with her then partner Brad Pitt. And while both of her pregnancies were the biggest media stories of the year, Angelina has said very little about her decision to have a C-section over a natural delivery. She gave birth to Shiloh at a hospital in the African country of Namibia.

For her part, Angelina did say that she didn’t find her birth experience to be too painful or traumatizing. Instead, both were good experiences that had a positive effect on her. She also never said if a pre-existing condition might have been the reason why she opted to have C-sections.

“I had a C-section and I found it fascinating," Jolie said in the interview back in 2006. "I didn't find it a sacrifice and I didn't find it a painful experience. I found it a fascinating miracle of what a body can do.”

Sources: people.com, romper.com, popsugar.com, eonline,com, usweekly.com