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Abstract
Childbirth modes have implications for reproductive health outcomes. There has been a growing concern about the increasing rate of use of Caesarean section for childbirth in both developed and developing countries. To this end, we analyzed data on birth modes, neonatal deaths, and maternal deaths based on Ghana’s Access, Bottlenecks, Costs, and Equity (ABCE) project. A negative binomial model estimated the relationship between childbirth modes and neonatal and maternal deaths. Main effect results show that childbirth through a Caesarean section mitigates against neonatal death (OR = 0.996, 95% CI 0.992–0.999, p < 0.05), but it exacerbates maternal death (OR = 1.003, 95% CI 0.999–1.007, p > 0.05). Vaginal childbirth significantly increases the risk of both neonatal (OR = 1.005, 95% CI 1.004–1.007, p < 0.05) and maternal mortality (OR = 1.002, 95% CI 1.001–1.003, p > 0.05). The results provide essential information for Ghana’s Ministry of Health, medical practitioners, and other health stakeholders working to reduce neonatal and maternal mortality.