Some may wonder why I am writing on this subject when the bloggers and others are more embroiled in issues related to terrorism and such subjects. Let me explain. The issue of serious threat posed by Caesarean delivery has come to haunt the medical fraternity and general public once again…and the issue is no less grave than terrorism.
Babies are up to three times more likely to die soon after delivery if their mothers choose a Caesarean section rather than a normal birth, a big American study has shown, reports today’s edition of The Times. (The origin of this word dates back to 17th century from the story that Julius Caesar was delivered by this method of cutting through the wall of the mother’s abdomen).
More than two decades ago I had to argue with my editor to allow me to write an article on a pioneering study by John Hopkins University which also recommended that the midwives were to be preferred over the gynaecologists because the former prefer natural delivery.
In fact, a study by Johns Hopkins professor in 1912 indicated that most American doctors were less competent than the midwives. “Not only were the doctors themselves unreliable about preventing sepsis and ophthalmia but they also tended to be too ready to use surgical techniques which endangered mother or child. If anyone, then, deserved a legal monopoly on obstetrical care, it was the midwives, not the MDs.”
For more details read “Witches, Midwives, and Nurses —
A History of Women Healers”.
My editor laughed and said what the hell had gone wrong with me. At a time when there were other ‘important stories’ to think about – Cold War, etc., here I was talking of safe child delivery!!! But in all fairness I must say that, finally, he did carry my article on the edit page!
Now back to today’s story: “The finding will come as a shock to the increasing number of women who opt to have a Caesarean, even if there is no medical need for it. Almost a quarter of British babies are born in this way.
“Said Marian MacDorman, of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, who led the study: ‘These findings should be of concern for clinicians and policymakers who are observing the rapid growth in the number of primary Caesareans to mothers without a medical indication’.
“The team studied more than 5.7 million live births and nearly 12,000 infant deaths in the United States from 1998 to 2001. They counted deaths among babies that occurred within 28 days of birth, called neonatal deaths.
“They conclude in the journal ‘Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care’ that the neonatal death rate for Caesarean birth among low-risk women was 1.77 deaths per 1,000 live births. The comparable rate among vaginal births was 0.62.
“As in Britain, the rates of Caesarean operations have been increasing fast in the US, where they now account for 29 per cent of births. US Caesarean rates increased by 41 per cent between 1996 and 2004, while the rate among low-risk women nearly doubled.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.