63% pregnant women in rural areas work till delivery, shows survey

The survey found that around a third of the respondents had to borrow or sell assets to meet the post-pregnancy costs

Almost 63 per cent of pregnant women in rural India work right until the day of delivery. And, 49 per cent say they felt exhausted during pregnancy, due to lack of food and rest, a recent survey has found.

A third of the respondents had to borrow or sell assets to meet after-pregnancy costs. Symptoms of weakness included swelling of feet (41 per cent), impairment of daylight vision (17 per cent) or convulsions (9 per cent).

The survey was conducted this June in six states, on 702 women (342 pregnant and 364 nursing, the latter defined as someone who delivered