Mothers opt for caesarean deliveries so their babies are born on astrologically auspicious days.
Doctors in Mumbai say an increasing number of middle-class Indians are scheduling a caesarean section birth in order to nail a good-luck date determined by their astrologers.
Indians have always consulted their gurus — who usually look to the stars — for the best times for marriage ceremonies, business deals or even when to step on the train for a long trip.
Astrological timing is so important that when the stars align, India sees an explosion of weddings, with tens of thousands of ceremonies taking place on the same day in cities like Mumbai or New Delhi.
While there are no data on how often C-section timings are decided by astrology, the number of caesarean deliveries has surged in India. In the early 1990s, around 5% of births in urban hospitals were caesarean. Today more than 20% are, doctors say, in part because of higher incomes and wider access to health care.
Read factlets by:
RSS feed
Email feed
