CleanBirth - Saving Mothers and Babies in Laos

CleanBirth.org - Donate $5 Saves 2 Lives

50 Clean Birth Kits Sent to Laos

The maiden voyage of 50 kits has begun.  The kits are being sourced from AYZH in India (more about my collaboration with AYZH here).  They will travel to Lao PDR (Laos), hopefully make it over the border without a hassle from customs and will arrive at CleanBirth.org’s partner organization in Laos.

The object of this first mailing is twofold: 1.  to ensure that mailing them is possible (they don’t get lost and are permitted allowed in by customs) 2.  to get the kits into the hands of health ministers so that they are approved for use.

I have no control over either so I now wait.  Fingers crossed.

First “Birth Kits for Baby Showers” Baby Shower

I was thrilled that a baby shower hostess found my blog and decided to make a donation.  She incorporated the donation cards with plant-favors, as you can see from the picture.

I love the idea of Birth Kit for Baby Showers because people are already spending money on various toss-away baby shower favors.  Why not put those dollars to good use?

For $5 per guest, you can save the lives of a mom and baby AND provide training to community health workers.

Please, my loyal readers, forward this along to any expecting moms or baby shower throwers.  A mom in Laos thanks you!

Study on Clean Birth Practices in Ghana

I was pleased to find this study (see below) looking into hand washing / gloves, clean surface, sterile cord cutting, appropriate cord tying, proper cord care following delivery, and infant bathing and cleanliness.

The study found that while it was generally know that birth should be clean, things like handwashing were not often mentioned in the description of clean birthing practices.

Conclusions: educate healthcare providers about harmful traditional practices (ex. salves put on cord stump), improve birthing facilities, and ally with grandmothers in particular who play a significant role in birthing.

Clean delivery practices in rural northern Ghana: A qualitative study of community and provider knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs systems

Cheryl A Moyer, Raymond A Aborigo, Gideon Logonia, Gideon Affah, Sarah Rominski, Philip B Adongo, John Williams, Abraham Hodgson and Cyril M Engmann

For all author emails, please log on.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2012, 12:50 doi:10.1186/1471-2393-12-50

Published: 15 June 2012Background

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of community members and healthcare providers in rural northern Ghana regarding clean delivery are not well understood. This study explores hand washing / use of gloves during delivery, delivering on a clean surface, sterile cord cutting, appropriate cord tying, proper cord care following delivery, and infant bathing and cleanliness.

Methods

In-depth interviews and focus group discussions with community members were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo 9.0

Results

253 respondents participated, including women with newborn infants, grandmothers, household and compound heads, community leaders, traditional birth attendants, and formally trained health care providers. There is widespread understanding of the need for clean delivery to reduce the risk of infection to both mothers and their babies during and shortly after delivery. Despite this understanding, the use of gloves during delivery and hand washing during and after delivery were mentioned infrequently. The need for a clean delivery surface was raised repeatedly, including explicit discussion of avoiding delivering in the dirt. Many activities to do with cord care involved non-sterile materials and practices: 1) Cord cutting was done with a variety of tools; the most commonly used were razor blades or scissors; 2) Cord tying utilized a variety of materials, including string, rope, thread, twigs, and clamps; and 3) Cord care often involved applying traditional salves to the cord – including shea butter, ground shea nuts, local herbs, local oil, or “red earth sand.” Keeping babies and their surroundings clean was mentioned repeatedly as an important way to keep babies from falling ill.

Conclusions

This study suggests a widespread understanding in rural northern Ghana of the need for clean delivery. Nonetheless, many recommended clean delivery practices are ignored. Overarching themes emerging from this study included the increasing use of facility-based delivery, the disconnect between healthcare providers and the community, and the critical role grandmothers play in ensuring clean delivery practices. Future interventions to address clean delivery and prevention of neonatal infections include educating healthcare providers about harmful traditional practices so they are specifically addressed, strengthening facilities, and incorporating influential community members such as grandmothers to ensure success.

Helping Babies Breathe

I know that I have written about this organzation before but so worth checking out if you are interested in infant health and survival.  Website: http://www.helpingbabiesbreathe.org/

Objective of HBB

To ensure that all babies are born with a skilled birth attendant present.

The Curriculum

Helping Babies Breathe is a neonatal resuscitation curriculum for resource-limited circumstances. It was developed on the premise that assessment at birth and simple newborn care are things that every baby deserves. The initial steps taught in HBB can save lives and give a much better start to many babies who struggle to breathe at birth. The focus is to meet the needs of every baby born.

The Golden Minute®

Helping Babies Breathe emphasizes skilled attendance at birth, assessment of every baby, temperature support, stimulation to breathe, and assisted ventilation as needed, all within “The Golden Minute” after birth.

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares
Share This