Cesarean Deliveries Rise in India: How This Everyday Ingredient May Help Recover From Post-Partum Weakness

The number of cesarean deliveries or C-Section surgeries seems to be rising in the country. According to Health Minister JP Nadda,"C-Section (surgeries) have increased, especially in private institutes. It is a matter of concern for all of us." The Health Minister shared during the Question Hour that were a number of reasons for the increase of C-Section, including personal preference, risk factor, and time constraint, among others. "But our efforts are on to bring down the number of C- section. We are initiating the process of counselling," he said.

The minister further shared that as per the information received from the Central Government Health Services-empanelled private hospitals, a total of 17,450 C-Section surgeries have been conducted out of 31,296 deliveries, which is about 55.75 per cent.

Considering the growing numbers of C-Sections in the country, it is imperative to understand that post-partum recovery in C-Section takes a lot of time and the new mothers needs to adopt a well-balanced and nutritious diet to regain the lost energy and compensate for the blood loss during the delivery. One ingredient that is a must for every new mother is desi ghee. From an Ayurvedic perspective, good fats are nourishing and energizing for new mothers. Good fats such as desi ghee are believed to be Sattvic in nature which means that promote mental health and also help in inducing peaceful sleep.

According to Ayurveda expert Dr. Dhanvantri Tyagi, "A woman loses lots of blood and energy during a C-Section surgery. During this period, the three doshas become unstable and the agni or digestive fire tends to become weak. Therefore, it is necessary to stabilise the doshas and start with giving the new mother some light foods that may include soups. After fifth day of the delivery, when her digestive system becomes stronger and starts to stabilise, that's when the three doshas start to burn food more quickly, which may in turn become harmful for the body. This is when you should add ghee to your meals to help normalize the 'vayu'."

According to Dr. Tyagi, ghee helps in promoting mental health and heals the wound faster. It also helps stimulate blood formation and reduces the chances of blood related diseases the risk of which is higher during this period. Ghee is also a natural energy booster. It is cooling and rehydrating and also helps the new mother produce more breastmilk.

With Inputs from PTI