The month of April marks a time for Cesarean section awareness and promotes education related to the birthing procedure.
A surgical operation in which a baby is delivered through the abdomen, it is an essential procedure for some to avoid complications that could arise during vaginal birth.
Nevertheless, the awareness months advocates vaginal birth when health permits and highlights the importance that mothers be made aware of the full consequences of such a procedure: this surgery can consequentially lead to increased risk of infection, blood clots, intense longer lasting pain, and repeat hospital visits.
In a thread on public Facebook page It-tfal l-ewwel, many local mothers rallied to show each other support. Several expressed their pride at carrying scars from the procedure, linking it to a token of unconditional love and insisting that welcoming their child into the world through C-section was the best day of their lives.
Malta has a high C-section rate, with almost a third of babies born in 2018 delivered through this procedure.