By Sophie Akinyi
Conceiving is a beautiful feeling especially in a society where lack of it is considered a curse. Women who are unable to conceive find it rough living in this society as they are always mocked and ridiculed. For the ones who are lucky to conceive though, a lot of anxiety is expressed.
Many Kenyan women especially first time moms` harbor fears concerning childbirth. This is as a result of stories heard from fellow women who have given birth naturally. Currently, there is a rising number of Caesarean Sections (CS) being performed in hospitals. Women who go for it are mostly carried away by the `fear` factor and low self esteem.
Fear is the notable reason since women who have given birth may sometimes narrate their ordeals in the hands or ruthless midwives. This would without a doubt make any expectant woman scared. Many a times these women are insulted, neglected and beaten when it gets to extremes. Thinking of how vulnerable and delicate a woman gets during this state, it is no doubt a woman would think of a Caesarean Section.
It is not every woman`s wish to deliver Caesarean Section, some prefer to give birth naturally saying it helps in dealing with pain there and then. Today, expectant women experience some sort of medical intervention which might land them in theater and not labor room. Some women confess that they felt ready to give birth naturally, but along the way, they were told their conditions had changed and they have to go through CS. Sometimes, this intervention is warranted; however, there are certain hospitals which have turned the practice into a money-making business.
Before, Caesarean Section was only warranted in certain circumstances; these included: if a woman had contracted pelvis (small or inadequate), cord prolapsed (cord slips off first before the baby), abnormal lie (eg.transverse-across, breech-baby presents with legs or hands, pre-eclampsia (where there is high blood pressure accompanied with protein in urine and A.P.H (condition where mother starts bleeding before she goes into labor but the pregnancy is full term. Apart from HIV positive patients who are encouraged to go through the procedure as a preventive measure against infecting their newborns, women are at liberty to decide the mode of delivery they want. In some hospitals, women are advised to go for CS even without being explained to the underlying disadvantages. What some of these hospitals are interested in is money.
This sudden rush for `quick` money has made some women lose their lives due to doctor`s carelessness. There have been reported cases of forgotten pieces of cloth and instrument inside these women`s womb which in turn lead to their death. Sorry as this situation might sound, many women still find themselves in theater rooms willing or unwillingly.
At the end of the day, what people are interested in is having kids, this means that there should be healthy guidelines on when a CS or even induction should and shouldn`t be done. This would reduce the number of deaths among other postnatal complications. Expectant women should also hang around people who encourage them and above all, trust their body`s abilities to deliver healthy kids safely.
There should however be a healthy guideline on when a CS should be done so as to reduce complications resulting from it. Women have lost their hands on unscrupulous quacks that most of the time are too hasty leaving behind towels inside wombs of their patients.
This has led to loss of life among other complications.
コメント