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Though we associate Caesarean sections with Julius Caesar, it's unlikely the Roman emperor was delivered by that method. His mother, Aurelia, was still alive when Caesar invaded Britain. At the time, C-sections were used to save only the life of the baby or to separate a fetus from a mother for burial.

Originally the procedure was called a Caesarean operation. A 1598 book on midwifery introduced the term "section."

The first successful c-section reported in the British empire happened between 1815 and 1821. It was performed by a woman masquerading as a man and serving as a physician to the British army.

C-sections became more common as surgical techniques improved and more deliveries moved from the home to the hospital.

For better or worse, Caesarean sections are now the most common operation in American hospitals. About 1.4 million Caesareans were performed in 2007.