Postpartum hemorrhage has been identified as one of the top 3 leading causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria and through Project safe birth outreaches in communities, we discovered that both Pregnant women and many of the Traditional birth attendants believed MYTHS about the cause of Postpartum hemorrhage like It is ‘spiritual attack” and so on.
To fill the knowledge gap identified, we switch to action and organised a training for Traditional birth attendants in Ota Ogun state in October 2020.
A gynecologist and Matron was invited to facilitate the training session and the participants said it was an eye opening experience for them.
Participants now know that those their beliefs are myths and they aware of signs that can lead to Postpartum hemorrhage so that they can refer such pregnant women to the nearest medical facility on time..Traditional birth attendants can serve as agents of change to reduce maternal mortality especially in communities where there is no health facilities or poor road to access health facilities.
This in line with its commitment to improving maternal health outcomes in underserved communities,
The traditional birth attendants were taught the signs that can lead to postpartum hemorrhage and how to prevent it. However, they were also cautioned to know their limits, so as to reduce maternal and child mortality in Nigeria.
Project Safe Birth is focused on reducing maternal mortality in underserved communities in three ways; by training of traditional birth attendants, provide health education and free safe birth kits to indigent pregnant women in rural communities and causing social behavioral change towards family planning through sensitization and following up with messages to promote family planning to these women via E-mobile in their respective indigenous languages.
The Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) aims to ensure healthy lives and promotes wellbeing for all across all ages and genders. The first target of the SDG 3 seeks to reduce the global maternal ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births. According to the World Bank, the maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria as of 2017 was 917 per 100,000 live births.
Motherhood NG Initiative is working towards achieving the SDG3 by 2030.
