It is a well-known fact that a woman going in for C-Section would have a major surgery, a longer recovery time yet would be free from labor pain. While both C-Section and vaginal deliveries have their own pros and cons, the number of C-Section deliveries has been increasing at a considerable rate.
According to a gynecologist the rate of C-Sections in India is growing steadily and the average rate is more than 15-20% which is higher than what WHO recommends.
Subarna Ghosh, a Mumbaikar has recently filed a petition which states that the government should make it mandatory for hospitals to declare from time-to-time the number of C-Sections they have had. The petition has been making rounds and in no time has received approximately 87,000 signatures. The signatures include a few from some well-known names like PurabKohli and TV actress Shama Sikander.
According to Subarna Ghosh she took the step of filing the petition after the hospitals denied sharing their C-Section rates. She says, “As someone who is pregnant and walks into a hospital, the first thing I want to know is what their C-section rate is. That is where I came from. That is where the petition comes from. Hospitals have to give the number to the government when the health survey is conducted, so it is not a state secret. I spoke to more than 100 women and I could see a pattern of complete dissatisfaction [in the maternal care they received]”
She is delighted with the response the petition has received and hopes that the Government takes some action. She says, “Attention is paid to a lot of things and they fizzle out. This is a very pressing issue, the indiscriminate C-sections. [Declaring the C-section rate] is an achievable goal. Had I thought it was not, I would not have started the petition.”
There are plenty of reasons why a doctor would recommend having a C-section, but it doesn’t come without a few risks and complications. Here are a few risks that C-Section surgery is linked to:
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The C-Section scar normally takes a long time to heal and in some cases its sign remains forever.
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The mother’s vagina would be slightly wounded and proper hygienic care needs to be taken or else there can be a chance of developing an infection.
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There are chances of inflammation in the urine which may lead to a foul-smelling discharge.
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The baby may develop some breathing problems
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The baby may sustain injuries during the process, however that is rare.
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The mother can develop an allergy to anesthesia or develop any side-effects like a long-staying headache.
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The mother can develop clotting of blood post-surgery on her pelvic organs or legs.