•Women who give birth by caesarean typically stay in hospital a day longer and have an extended recovery period.
•Panafrican med Journal shows that women who had C-sections were 80 percent more likely to have complications than those who delivered vaginally.
Image: COURTESY
Recent reports indicate that there has been an increasing number of women who undergo Caesarean section (CS) out of their own will.
Apart from pregnancy complications that lead to emergency C-sections, research has shown that the economic status of a woman is one of the factors that could also lead her to choose C-Section over virginal births.
Marleen Temmerman, a gynaecologist and professor at Aga Khan University in Kenya and Ghent University in Belgium, says women from richer settings are likely to go for elective C-sections as a delivery option.
“The large increases in C-section use- mostly in richer settings for non-medical purposes- are concerning because of the associated risks for women and children,” said Temmerman.
In Kenya, C-sections constitute about 8.9 per cent of all births, according to the World Health Organization.
The rate is higher in urban areas at about 16 per cent.
Globally, C-sections now account for more than one in five (21 per cent) of all childbirths and are expected to rise to 29 per cent by 2030.
Image: Courtesy
CS delivery is the surgical procedure by which a baby is delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed to save the child's or mother's life.
And despite the costs, some women have willingly opted for this option of giving birth over the most common vaginal births, claiming it is less painful.
Vera Sidika, a socialite in Kenya, is among the few women who willingly chose C-sections over vaginal birth.
"They say CS is expensive but if you really want it, you’d prepare better even if you don’t have money. That’s nine months of saving. For private hospitals, the case is different," she said.
She further claimed the procedure was painless and would choose it any day.
"I felt good during surgery... Ever since I thought of having kids in my adult life, I said to myself I’ll do it only if I don’t have to experience labor pains," she said.
Kagendo Njiru, a mother of one, says she would opt for a CS despite the harrowing experience she went through and the costs.
She had hoped for a vaginal birth but due to pregnancy complications, she ended up under the knife.
"I didn't choose the C-Section. The experience was quite challenging, especially after care. The healing process was also tough as I developed infections a week later and had to go back to the hospital," she said.
She said she ended up spending a lot of money in the process.
“Having a crying baby by my side, yet I couldn’t hold him or breastfeed him was quite challenging and saddening. The healing stage took longer than expected and I also spent a lot of money for scans and hospital bills,” said Njiru.
Njiru urged the government to ensure hospitals are well facilitated and have the required tools to conduct such procedures.
“The cause of infection was a result of lack of medicine in the hospital at that time and insufficient surgical equipment,” she said.
Further, Njiru said that she will opt for the C-Section because she has a condition that may hinder normal delivery.
Anne, a mother who underwent vaginal birth, said that she could not opt for the C-section.
“The healing process is a traumatic experience if what I have heard from friends is anything to go by,” said Anne, adding that it was also expensive.
She said that vaginal birth can be a smooth or rough experience depending on the mother.
She urged the government to support the hospitals by ensuring that they are equipped with the necessary tools to handle maternal care.
Edith, another mother, delivered her first child through vaginal birth. During the second pregnancy, she chose the elective CS.
According to her, she was afraid of the pain that she experienced during the birth of her first child.
“I opted for the elective CS for the second delivery because I was scared of the pain that I felt during the delivery of my first child,” said Edith.
Claudia said that she would opt for the C-section because it was fast and painless.
“CS is easy since it is fast and there is no pain compared to normal birth where one experiences labour pains,” said Claudia.
She said that she would deal with the aftermath.
Esther, on the other hand, underwent an emergency CS. She said that she wanted the vaginal birth but unfortunately, she had complications during labor.
“I would not choose CS. I went through it as an emergency to save my life and that of my unborn baby,” said Esther.
According to the National Library of Medicine, a caesarean birth can be a life-saving intervention when medically indicated, but this procedure can also lead to short-term and long-term health effects for women and children.
Several studies have shown CS is associated with an increased risk of uterine rupture, abnormal placentation, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and preterm birth, and these risks increase in a dose-response manner.
However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) estimates there are about four maternal deaths for every 100,000 women after vaginal deliveries compared to 13 in 100,000 after caesareans.
Women who give birth by caesarean typically stay in the hospital a day longer and have an extended recovery period. There is also a higher risk of hysterectomy and cardiac arrest during the procedure although this is still a tiny risk at 0.03 per cent and 0.19 per cent respectively.