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UCHI Joins CleanBirth.org to Make Birth Safe in Laos

Natalia's UCHI logoWe are so pleased to announce our newest Business Sponsor:UCHI .

Started by a former critical care nurse, UCHI focuses on nurturing through design. They offer LuvDub Kangaroo Care Wrap (patent pending), stylish nursing covers and baby carriers.

We are so thrilled to get the support of a nurse who has developed products that care for newborns and new moms.

Check out http://www.uchimama.net/ for more information about their beautiful products. We are so grateful that a portion of each purchase will go toward making birth safer in Laos.

 

Lao Staff Send More Data and Pictures

IMG_7222IMG_7192IMG_7225 IMG_7245 IMG_7288 IMG_7301 IMG_7388 IMG_7317Yeah! Pictures from the villages where our kits are being distributed.  And data too!

Three staffers of our Lao partner organization, Our Village Association, are tasked with assisting in the distribution of kits, tracking of data, and training of CleanBirth Volunteers.

Ms. Noi coordinates all of our efforts and communicates with CleanBirth.org directly.  Mr Phomma works with nurses and villagers in Saravan District and Lao-ngarm District;  Mr Haleuy does the same in Tahoy District.

Mr. Haleuy took these great pictures of life in this village.

The nurses in each of our 14 clinics are tasked with texting the number of Clean Birth Kits they have distributed each month.

Ms. Noi has reported that so far in September we have heard from 7 clinics about the number of kits that they distributed in August.

– Naborn Clinic: gave 21
– Kokbok Clinic: gave 16
– Tahouak Clinic: gave 6
– Kuaset Clinic: gave 7
– Pachoudorn Clinic: gave 2
– Daxia Clinic: gave 7
– Thoumleethong Clinic: gave 1

Ms. Noi will be calling the other 7 nurses to get their data.

Last month 4 clinics were cut off communication-wise by rain, but all nurses will need to show their data in December to recieve more kits and their stipend.

Thanks to the 3 OVA staffers we can see that data is being collected and the kits are being used!

Dads Matter to Birth Outcomes in Bangladesh

A very interesting study conducted in Bangladesh which shows that husbands play an important role in the care that mothers receive in pregnancy and birth.

The findings presented in this paper suggest that the level of social support provided by the husband to his wife and the husband’s perception of social norms related medical intervention during childbirth are both associated with the type of provider utilized during childbirth. The husband’s perception of social norms related to professional care is important to the type of advice and support he will give his wife during pregnancy and childbirth, which has important implications for the development of future maternal health interventions.

Areas of fruitful future research include the further elucidation of the types of social support provided by the husband and the critical social norms related to childbirth in Bangladesh. This and future research could be used to create valid and reliable measures to assess the quantitative impact of social support and social norms on the utilization of professional maternal health services using a more representative sample. These findings may also be useful to program planners, who should pursue culturally sensitive ways to involve the husband in maternal health interventions and assess the effectiveness of education strategies targeted at husbands.

Let’s not export our flawed social views on Maternal Health

Today I had a conversation with a friend who is in her 50s about breastfeeding her four children, who were born over approximately a 15 year period.  She said with her first, she didn’t breastfeed at all.  With her second, she breastfed for a month.  And with her third and fourth, born 22 months apart, she breastfed each for a year — and was sad to stop.

What made the difference with her last two?  She said that noone breastfed when she had her first, there was no support.  By the time the last two came, breastfeeding was acceptable if not embraced.  Breastfeeding in the US is increasingly embraced but breast milk substitutes are still being given to almost half of US babies by day 7, according to the CDC.

Thinking about this conversation about social context,  it is clear that society drives what is acceptable/good when it comes to breastfeeding and birth.

In the US C-sections (often scheduled) are de rigeur among celebrities, thus they are regarded by US Weekly fans everywhere as a preferred choice.  The role of midwives is misunderstood, thus they are not sought out.  Birth is seen as dangerous and excruciating and voices opposing this media-driven view are drowned out.  Breast milk and formula are both regarded by many as equally nutritious, with formula having advantages like “baby is more full and sleeps better.”

One of my fears is that our views of maternal health will be exported to the developing world.  It has already begun in the areas of c-section and breastfeeding.

C-section rates in the developing world are on the rise.  One study by Belizan et al comments:

Although the epidemic of caesarean section in Latin America is not new,6 little action is taking place to reduce its use. This is partly because caesarean section is now culturally accepted as a normal way of giving birth.23

Breast milk substitutes are being pushed on populations with neither the money nor the clean water nor the need for them.  Laos is one example where the population has historically had high levels of breastfeeding, but influxes of breast milk substitutes are changing the situation.  This 2010 study by Barennes et al finds:

In Laos, mothers with the highest socio-economic status are showing a tendency to give up breastfeeding. Successful educational strategies and advocacy measures should be urgently developed to promote and sustain breastfeeding in developing countries.

Women in the third world need many things: among them community health workers, midwives, medicine, emergency care and supplies.    However, importing our flawed views of breastfeeding and birthing will not save lives.  Instead, practical solutions need to be found on the ground, where C-sections and milk substitutes are reserved for medically necessary conditions.

“Midwives Matter for Maternal Health and More”

Great post from NotEnoughGood.com (http://notenoughgood.com/2012/04/midwives/).

Midwives are undervalued and overlooked throughout the world.  They could make a difference to maternal and infant health outcomes.  According to the article:

UNFPA outlines the many skills a professional midwife can offer in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity.  For example, before and during pregnancy, midwives can be a source of substantiated advice and information. They can be a source of family planning advice and materials. During pregnancy and labor, a trained midwife can recognize signs of problems in women and their newborns, and can refer a woman to the appropriate facility.  When adequately trained, midwives can also provide emergency care. Through these skills, UNFPA believes that midwives can play a key role in achieving MDGs 4 (reduce child mortality), 5 (improve maternal health) and 6 (combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases). In some countries, midwives can also provide vaccination services.

The article goes on to talk about success stories in countries that  “have harnessed the power of midwives as frontline maternal health workers”.  Malaysia was able to reduce maternal mortality in this way.

The article concludes:

Investment in midwives, who are part of their communities and able to provide culturally relevant but accurate information is an invaluable resource for many women who would otherwise go without such quality care.  Because qualified midwives are trained to understand infectious disease and issues in the scope of pre- and post-natal care, as well as delivery, they are important assets to countries seeking to improve the lives of women, children, and other vulnerable populations.

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