Caesarean delivery and maternal behavior of primiparous and multiparous rats.

Abstract

Two questions were posed in the present experiment: Would the preclusion of parturition through caesarean delivery interfere with expressions of maternal behavior? And, if so, to what extent, if at all, might it be migitated by previous parity? Accordingly, primiparous and multiparous rats were subjected to caesarean delivery shortly before term and presented with a litter of neonatal pups. The results indicated that the female rat can enter into an effective nurtural relationship despite having been deprived of the experience of parturition. Moreover, primiparous rats subjected to caesarean section were found to be as maternally competent as caesarean-sectioned multiparous rats.