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Indian astrology dictates Caesarian birth dates

An increasing number of mothers are choosing C-section births for convenience. Now the stars are a factor in that decision too.
Indian astrology dictates Caesarian birth dates
Published: February 17, 2012 07:37 AM GMT
Updated: February 17, 2012 07:37 AM GMT

Sahana has just celebrated her first birthday. She was born on February 4th, 2011, at 1.45pm. But it was not fate that brought her into the world at that precise moment. Rather, the time was calculated by a Hindu priest a month in advance. "You want the best for your child and this is just another precaution," says Sahana’s mother, Supriya Damera. Her obstetrician, Pranathi Reddy, is familiar with such requests. She timed the Caesarean section so the baby would emerge, head first, at the prescribed hour. That day was so auspicious, Dr Reddy recalls, that she and her obstetrics team performed nearly ten C-sections between 9.30am and 10am. If, indeed, fate is the product of infinite variables, Hindus believe that some can be tweaked by picking subha muhurtha, as the lucky windows are known in Sanskrit. They marry, start a new job or set off on journeys on good days of the week. They buy gold, scooters, cars and homes at the right time of the year to invite prosperity. Politicians and film-makers seek astrologers' advice to improve their chances at the ballot box or box-office. Businessmen have been known to issue IPOs after consulting the Hindu calendar because there is no earthly way to predict the vagaries of the market. Now Hindu families have taken to timing the birth of their children to brighten the child’s prospects—of joining India’s elite civil service, say, or finding a suitable spouse. Dr Reddy says over 80% of the mothers she sees want to give birth at an auspicious time if theirs is a planned Caesarean delivery. Full Story:Auspicious C-sectionsSource:Babbage/The Economist 

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