The Cesarean section, or C-section, is the most common life-saving surgical procedure performed globally. It can prevent maternal deaths, intrapartum stillbirths, early neonatal deaths due to bleeding, fetal stress or malpresentation, and hypertension.
According to NFHS 5 data, the number of C-sections performed in India in 2019-21 increased to 21.5% as compared to 17.2% in 2015-16. While inevitable in several situations, C-sections are also known to potentially negatively affect the mother and the baby with higher incidences of maternal infection and uterine bleeding, infant respiratory distress, and hypoglycemia, which may adversely impact breastfeeding success.1.2