When actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan delivered a baby on Wednesday, she made a powerful statement: One is never too posh to push or too old for a natural delivery. The 38-year-old former Miss World won accolades from various city’s doctors for her “feat” at a time when every fourth woman in Mumbai undergoes a Caesarean section delivery instead of a natural one. Among women who are over 35 years of age, this statistic gets more skewed: one survey said 60% of them opted for a surgical delivery.
“Sometimes, an older mother is not given a choice by the doctor on whether she would like to deliver normally. It is taken for granted that older women should have Caesarean deliveries,” said Dr Nozer Sheriar, president of the Mumbai Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society. But he felt this could change, thanks to Aishwarya. “Now mothers-to-be will be aware of what they can and should do,” he said. Continue reading
