Do it naturally: Mantra for would-be moms

Experts say that an increasing number of women in India are opting for Caesarean sections when they want to give birth.

Some estimates even show that the C-section rate has risen from five per cent to almost 65 per cent in some parts of India.

But unlike in some developed countries where the problems arising out of unnecessary C-sections have been well documented, in India, there is little awareness.

And trying to counter this are groups of women and medical experts like Birth India, who are strongly advocating natural methods of giving birth. Some of them even raise questions about delivery practices in some hospitals.

They are spreading a message to do it naturally.

It means there is no need of epidurals or local anaesthesia to numb the pain of childbirth. And no caesareans unless strictly required.

But women in India are increasingly resorting to the C-section method. Like Vinita Contractor, who opted for it when she had her second baby.

''I had a medical birth the first time and it didn't feel right. It did not go with the way I feel inside. I read a few books and realised there were other ways and the only way to go through it is by keeping the doctor out of the picture as much as possible,'' she says.

It's a small movement - one that some women believe is a way of taking charge of their bodies.

The WHO estimates that the C-section rate should not be over 15 per cent but most countries record figures far higher.

In UK, this rate is 25 per cent, in US it's about 30 per cent and in Brazil it's 90 per cent.

No figures are available for India. But a report by the Delhi based Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research suggests there's excessive use of ultrasounds and procedures like enema and episiotomy where the vagina is surgically enlarged.

But while many doctors push for C-sections because of the money involved, many patients opt for surgery because they feel it's safer, especially with more and more older women having babies.

''It's totally wrong to think C-sections are safer and painless which is what most women think because the outcome is not always positive for the woman giving birth,'' says Dr Duru Shah, a gynaecologist.

''A lot of couples have understood about caesarean birth, how its not as cool as its made out to be. So they want to have control over the whole labour process,'' says childbirth instructor Shruti Saxena.

But natural birth experts warn that it is not an option for everyone. If a woman has complications during delivery, it's a huge risk - a situation a traditional midwife is not equipped to handle.

''When the doctor is monitoring the child and the mother throughout it's easier to pick up problems like a weak heartbeat or a very rapid heartbeat so they can step in. It's good not just for the baby but also the patient,'' says Dr Duru.

But, it remains to be seen whether the call of giving natural birth appeals to today's women or not.Egypt bans 92-year-old from marrying teenage bride

Shocking news

Egyptian authorities have banned a 92-year-old Saudi man from marrying a poor teenage girl 75 years his junior, a judicial source said on Saturday.
The justice ministry made its ruling under a law designed to prevent wealthy Arabs from the Gulf from snapping up young Egyptian girls and which forbids marriage when there is an age gap of 25 years or more.
The unidentified Saudi holidaymaker proposed marriage to a 17-year-old village girl and offered a dowry of about USD 28,000 as well as gold jewellery, the source said.
"Her parents, who are very poor, accepted," he told AFP.
But the justice ministry refused to register to marriage, citing the legislation brought in during the Gulf oil boom.
However, according to Egypt's Al-Akhbar newspaper, the authorities allowed 173 such marriages last year after the foreign husbands paid the equivalent of USD 8,000.

NEW YORK: Presumptive Democratic candidate for the US presidential election Barack Obama has established a small early lead over his rival Republican John McCain, a new poll shows.

The poll, conducted for Wall Street Journal and NBC, shows that Obama is leading McCain by 47 per cent to 41 per cent. But still the lead is significantly smaller than the Democratic Party's 16-point advantage, 51 per cent to 35 per cent, when voters are asked, without candidates' names, which party they want to win the White House.

Record unpopularity of President George Bush and the Republican Party, combined with economic worries among voters and a broad desire for change, would normally make this "the single best year for an Obama-type candidacy, and the single worst year for a McCain-type candidacy," says Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducts the Journal/NBC poll with Republican Neil Newhouse.

But Obama continues to do poorly among white male voters, according to the poll. More ominous is his weakness among white suburban women, who generally are open to Democratic candidates and whose votes could be decisive.

While Obama has a slight lead among white women generally, a plurality of suburbanites prefer McCain.

Some good news for the likely Democratic nominee: Despite suggestions during the nomination contest that many Hispanics and Hillary Clinton supporters wouldn't support him, the poll shows both groups overwhelmingly do.

The poll of 1,000 registered voters was conducted from Friday through Monday, a "propitious time" for Obama, Hart noted, as Clinton had conceded and endorsed her rival on Saturday.

Despite that timing and an "exceptionally strong" year for Democrats generally, Obama and McCain are in "a very competitive race for president," says Democratic pollster Hart.

The poll's margin of error is 3.1 percentage points. White men make up 40 per cent of the electorate, and the Arizona senator has a 20-point lead over Obama among them, 55 per cent to 35 per cent.

White suburban women, who make up 10 per cent of the electorate, prefer a Democrat to be president by 11 points, 47 per cent to 36 per cent, the poll shows.

And if Clinton were the nominee and the election were held now, she would beat McCain among this group by 14 points, 51 per cent to 37 per cent. Yet Obama loses to McCain by six points, 44 per cent to 38 per cent, among the same group.

The poll offers some evidence that Obama could be helped slightly by picking Clinton as his running mate. Offered a choice between an Obama-Clinton ticket and a Republican ticket of McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, 39 per cent of previously undecided voters said they would choose the Democrats, with 26 per cent favoring the Republicans.

Among white suburban women, with Clinton on his ticket, Obama would go from six points down against McCain to a two-point edge.

Among all women, Obama has a big advantage: 52 per cent to 33 per cent over McCain. Among all men, McCain's lead is 49 per cent to 41 per cent, less than half his edge among white men only. Obama leads among independent voters, 41 per cent to 36 per cent.