Physical Health Uganda Project #15128

Saving Lives at Birth; Maternal Health in Uganda

by The Shanti Uganda Society

Project Report | Aug 31, 2018
The Role of Health Education in the Birth Journey

By Courtney Price | Engagement Officer

Margaret and her grandson play at the Birth House

At Shanti Uganda's birth house, we believe the birth journey is much more than having our mothers show up when they are in labor and going home with a beautiful baby. We emphasize pregnancy and birth as a holistic journey to set our mothers and their infants up for a lifetime of health. As part of our holistic health model, we hold health education talks twice a month to increase mothers’ awareness and health literacy on disease prevention, promotion of healthy behaviors, and to decrease misinformation. Some of these topics have included breastfeeding support and weaning, malaria, nutrition, and hygiene and sanitation during postnatal period.

Rural communities in Uganda can be affected by norms, practices and gender differences that undermine the role of women in the decision-making process regarding their health. During the health education talks every Tuesday and Thursday the selected topics empower women to make informed decisions about their health as well as improve their healthy behaviors.

During the last quarter, the Birth House statistics indicated that the least used contraceptive was daily pills. Mothers explain that this is because husbands are not supportive of contraceptive use by their wives so mothers opt for family planning methods that are not visible to the husband. Because of this feedback, when partners escort their wives for antenatal and postnatal care, they are encouraged to attend the health education talks so that they make family planning decisions that work for their family together.

Through respectful and dignified dialogue, Shanti midwives have taught mothers and fathers about the effects of these stereotypes on their health and that of their children. Through the gifts of supporters like you, we are able to provide this high-quality model of care. In the last three months, your support has translated into 81 healthy births, 369 antenatal visits, and 894 child immunizations, among other record numbers. Thank you so much for your continued support!

Group talk on malaria in pregnancy

Doula Flora leads talk on family planning options

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Jun 4, 2018
Mom Rose Returns to Shanti Uganda for Empowering Care

By Kate Hyde | Operations Director

Shanti mom Rose and son Derrick

As we celebrate #10YearsofImpact and Mother's Day 2018 we decided to follow up on moms who have given birth at the Shanti Uganda Birth House, both recently and not-so-recently, to see how both mama and babe are doing. We hope you will enjoy the story of Rose and Derrick we gathered for Mother's Day this year...

We were so excited and grateful when a young mother named Rose came into the Shanti Birth House for an antenatal visit this April. When we spoke to her we found out that Derrick, her only child, was born at the Shanti Birth House 7 years ago - just one year after our doors opened - in March 2011.

She recalled how different the Birth House looked back then; the garden wasn’t ready, the land was unfinished, and there was no fence around the property. Kato was there though, our Head Gardener today, and she remembers him well with a smile.

Rose was just 17 when she gave birth to Derrick. She was referred to Shanti as the facility of choice in Kasana from her step-mother, Agnes. Agnes had heard of the Birth House and care model so early on because she was part of Shanti Uganda’s ‘Women’s Income Generating Group’, which was the very origin of Shanti in 2008.

Rose arrived at the Birth House with her mother at 6pm, and gave birth to Derrick soon after at 7pm. She shared that “after birth, they gave me blankets, clothes, everything I needed. The midwife was amazing and helped me with all the things I didn’t know, all the things my mom didn’t know. She was very nice and warm. She prepared us in every way.” After giving birth, Rose and her newborn son went home to live with her mother, step-father, and younger siblings.

7 years later in 2018, Rose is married and lives in a home with her husband, Geoffrey, and Derrick. She is four months pregnant with her second child, and has chosen to come back to Shanti Uganda for her antenatal visits, birth, and postnatal visits. She shared that she was certain she wanted to come back to Shanti after her first experience; she loves the environment and the love and care that is provided. She is also excited to try prenatal yoga classes, since they weren’t yet being offered during her first pregnancy in 2010. While Rose’s mother is still very much a part of her and Derrick’s lives, Geoffrey and her sister will be the ones coming to attend the birth this time.

“I wish the rest of the mothers in the world a beautiful day. And I urge them to love their children in the best way they can.”

Thank you for supporting moms like Rose!

Derrick is excited to meet his new baby sibling

Rose chose to return to Shanti after 7 years

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Mar 13, 2018
Continuous Midwifery Education

By Elin Svensson | Assistant Country Director

We hope this update finds you well! While lots has been happening in the world of maternal health at the Shanti Birth House over the past few months, we are excited to update you on the CME (Continuous Medical/Midwifery Education) sessions we have been working to make more regular. We have been putting a lot of energy and resources into making the CMEs a steady routine, and they have been happening twice a month. Regular CMEs is one of the cornerstones in keeping midwifery knowledge and skills refreshed and up to date. Using CMEs as a form of professional development will keep improving the quality of the services we deliver, and will help us to provide respectful and better care for more women.

After identifying any needs or gaps of knowledge, there are many different ways to carry out the CMEs. They can be done through videos, discussions, research and presentations, as well as guest seminars. The last couple of months we have covered a quite wide range of topics, from infection prevention, meconium aspiration, referrals and cord care, to breastfeeding and prenatal massage. And there will be many more exciting topics to come!

These sessions also give the midwives the opportunity to catch up with each other in between shifts, share their knowledge, and usually have a couple of good laughs. From our youngest midwife, fresh out of midwifery school with updated knowledge, to our older and more experienced staff, there are many lessons to be learned and many stories to be told.

Every woman deserves respectful and safe maternal care, and every midwife deserves the ability to provide the best care she is capable of. Through the routine of CMEs we keep working towards defeating maternal mortality and improving maternal health in the villages surrounding the Shanti Birth House.

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