Instructor: Dr. E. U. Kwawukume

Project: A Varied Study of Cesarean Sections

Dr. E. U. Kwawukume will begin the student's research project by providing background medical information on C-Sections and prompting the student to imagine the various social, cultural, and economic components and implications of such a form of pregnancy. From the classroom, the student will embark for a series of sessions at the Medical College, where they will interview women who have both given birth and expecting. The student will attempt to extract the emotions that accompany women who have C-sections, the typical family response, and the common perception among Ghanaian women as to what a C-Section entails physically, financially, and psychologically. Thereby, this project will explore social developments within families and communities, gender issues, tribal perceptions, etc. Also, if the student shows interested, this project could entail comparative studies between rural and urban communities.

Among several other questions, the following could be explored:

• What common perceptions are held regarding C-Sections? How are these perceptions achieved? What influences the development or spread of such information?
• What incidents or information leads one to have a C-Section over natural labor?
• What leads a doctor to prescribe C-Sections? How much do doctors explain to their patients about the procedure, the reasons for surgery, etc.?
• What risks are involved in natural labor? C-Sections? How many of these risks are emphasized when the mother or family is choosing to have a C-Section?
• What is the emotional state of a delivering mother having a C-Section? Who is she expecting to see first after surgery? Why?
• What is the husband's role within this procedure both emotionally and physically?