This Midwife tells: Opt for safe delivery at the hospital

In the run-up to the International Women’s day, we are featuring
UNSUNG WOMEN HEROES who have been fighting malnutrition in Gujarat with iron resolve.

By Kumar Manish

Hundreds of newborns have opened their tiny eyes first time to Daliben Parmer’s smiling face in her embrace. Parmar is one of the revered midwives in the village and has been delivering babies at home for ages. But today, she leads a silent revolution in Demti, a non-descript village in Sabarkantha district, to promote the practice of safe delivery in care of medicos at hospitals, which ensures the safety of mother and the newborn child.

She has been actively working towards popularizing the practice of institutional deliveries in her region. She persuades expectant mothers and their family members to go for institutional delivery at hospitals by enumerating risks involved in home delivery that often put mothers and newborns in life-threatening situations.
According to a reply by Woman and Child Development Minister Ganpatsinh Vasava in the State Assembly in year 2018, Sabarkantha is one among many tribal districts in Gujarat that has a large number of malnourished children.

“I have lost count of them (deliveries), maybe more than hundred. I have seen women giving birth to a child on the floor at home. I have delivered three of my own grandchildren at home in limited facilities. But home delivery is risky. Sudden medical complications often put lives of mothers and kids in danger. The best way to deal with any such complication is safe delivery under medical supervision at hospitals,” says Daliben, a grandmother of four kids.

She says, “Earlier, we didn’t have access to quick medical facilities and those were really difficult days. But today, thing have changed. We, as midwives, support and help institutional delivery and convince families to not opt for delivery at home. I can proudly share that for my youngest grandchild, I chose institutional delivery.”

This change in approach among midwives came after the intervention of local non-government organization, which is supported by UNICEF for the eradication of malnutrition and infant mortality in the tribal region.

On the involvement of midwives for institutional delivery at villages, Arvind, a cluster-resource person working in the area says, “Midwives are revered individuals of villages. They have a strong influence on communities, and they are an integral part of life there. So, the thought to involve them in this awareness drive was initiated. They played a crucial role in convincing families to go for institutional deliveries. The impact is showing as more and more families are going for institutional deliveries.”

Arvind further elaborates, “I started interacting with Daliben on institutional deliveries and provided her information on the health of Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) which is about improving the nutritional status of mothers, infants, and young children.”

According to the World Health Organization, midwives, who are educated and regulated to international standards, can provide 87% of essential care to women and newborns.

To set an example in her village, Daliben, being a mother-in-law, decided to go for institutional delivery when her youngest grandchild was to born. She says, “To set an example in my village, I chose institutional delivery over home delivery when my daughter in law was pregnant. This brought about a great change in the mindset of people around and the community at large.”

Chandrika Parmar, the daughter-in-law of Daliben, says, “My mother-in-law advised that it would be the best for me to have the baby at the hospital. The skilled assistance and information provided at the hospital made my last delivery much easier and I felt safer.”

Chandrika is a proud mother of nine-month-old Jeenal. She says, “I have realized the critical nature of postpartum care and how crucial is feeding information for mother which is provided at the hospital. The government health facilities have now become more accessible. This care and support system is beneficial for both –mothers and the newborns.”

This new wave of change and midwives playing the champion of nutrition will ensure every child alive.

#EveryChildAlive #ChampionsofNutrition #Gujarat

About the author: Kumar Manish is an independent journalist & chief communicator at Communicate Karo, working on communications for Not for Profits. He is passionate about sustainable & happy cities and children rights. He is an avid social media contributor and believes in social media for social good. He tweets from @kumarmanish9

Photo caption: Daliben Parmar (Left) feeding khichdi to her 9-month-old granddaughter Jeenal, with mother Chandrika at her home in Sabarkantha district.