The experts warned that trying to give birth vaginally through a narrow pelvis is associated with lots of complications that could lead to the death of the mother and her baby.
A caesarean section is often necessary when a normal delivery would put the life of the baby or mother at risk, and the factors that might necessitate the procedure include obstructed labour, twin pregnancy, and high blood pressure. Others are breech birth or problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.
A caesarean delivery may be performed based on the shape of the mother’s pelvis or the history of a previous c-section. According to the experts, if a pregnant woman has a small pelvis, the chances of vaginal delivery are limited, and therefore, has to be offered a CS.A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Solomon Avidime, told PUNCH HealthWise during an interview that pregnant women with small pelvises are typically those that are naturally not too tall.
He, however, said women with small pelvises could still give birth vaginally depending on the size of their babies.
Avidime pointed out that some babies forced out of a small birth canal could have deformities later in life.
Experts say CS is a surgical procedure used when women experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth to save the lives of mothers and babies.
According to them, improving the access and availability of cesarean sections in the country is therefore pivotal to reducing the number of maternal deaths and achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on maternal health of reducing maternal deaths to less than 70 per 100 000 live births by 2030.
The World Health Organisation says that in countries where at least 10 per cent of women have caesarean sections, the number of maternal and newborn deaths decreases.
Nigeria’s latest maternal mortality ratio is 512 per 100,000 live births, as contained in the National Demographic and Health Survey 2018, which shows that the country has a long way to go in meeting the global health target by 2030.