site.btaNGO: Over 40% of Women Give Birth by Cesarean Section

NGO: Over 40% of Women Give Birth by  Cesarean Section

Sofia, August 17 (BTA) - Over 40 per cent of women give birth by
 cesarean section, while the figure is as high as 70-85 per cent
 in private hospitals, NGO representatives said during a
BTA-hosted news conference Sunday, when they presented their
project, titled Strategy for a Long-term Advocacy Campaign for
Human and Civil Rights in Maternity Care, which is financed with
 European funds.
 
According to the NGOs, a comprehensive change is needed for
improving the prenatal and postnatal maternal care.

"The cesarean section is a lifesaving operation and there is no
way such a high percentage of births to be at risk, which makes
us think that women chose this method by themselves without
being informed about the consequences for their own and their
children's health," said Neli Mutafova of the Rodilnitza
Association. According to her, it is known that children born by
 cesarean section are at a higher risk of developing respiratory
 diseases at a young age and autoimmune diseases later on.

The birth rate has dropped by two per cent in Sofia and by over
27 per cent in Vidin (northwestern Bulgaria) since the beginning
 of 2015, compared to the same period of 2014. Record-low birth
rates are expected this year, while women in labour are still
not in the focus of health care, the NGO representatives
commented.

There is a lack of prevention of birth complications and preterm
 labor, said Miglena Delcheva of the Parents for Parents
Foundations. According to her, mothers develop postpartum
depression two to eight weeks after giving birth, which can have
 severe consequences if no care is provided. Daniela Furtounova
of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee described the practice of
separating the baby from the mother in the first two hours after
 birth as harmful, along with not letting the father be present
in the delivery room.

According to the NGO representatives, obstetricians are the ones
 who can help improve postnatal care for the mothers and babies
in the first month after birth, during which just a single
consultation with a pediatrician is currently provided.