BY: Victoria Barker

MORE pregnant women will be undergoing caesarean sections tomorrow.

In hospitals under the ParkwayHealth group, the number of caesarean births scheduled for Aug 8 (or 08.08.08) - considered an auspicious date by many - is almost double the usual daily figure.

While some operations were scheduled for medical reasons, many were requested by patients, said a spokesman for the group.

ParkwayHealth, which owns the Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles and East Shore hospitals, confirmed that 28 such operations have been scheduled. On a regular day, these three hospitals see only about five caesarean sections each.

While the trend is not discouraged by doctors per se, five of them my paper spoke to advised expectant mothers to consider the risks that come with the operation.

"Just as with any other type of surgical procedure, patients have to consider the risks, no matter how small they may be," said Dr John Yam, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Gleneagles Hospital.

Among the risks of caesarean births are surgical complications such as bleeding, infection, blood clots and the possibility of tissue damage.

"But generally, aside from more severe scarring, a longer stay in hospital and more painkillers, as long as the baby is mature and the mum is healthy, their well-being should not be affected," Dr Yam said.

Babies born before the ideal gestation period of 37 weeks are considered premature. Still, requests for "horoscopic
births" are not uncommon, said Dr Yam.

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