Bukola Afeni
Experts in the health sector has emphasized the need for pregnant women to register for antenatal and avoid home delivery.
The Chief Midwife Rotary RMCH Abuja, Mrs. Hannatu Dung explained this to newsmen during a community Dialogue at Yimitu, in Waru Community, Abuja.
According to the midwife, some pregnant women prefer to deliver their babies at home and not go to a health care facility.
She said the dialogue is to sensitize women on the danger of home delivery and to encourage them to make informed decisions to go to the health facility, and deliver in the care of professional doctors.
“We are here to dialogue with the people of the community to understand their health issues and develop a health-seeking behavior. We want pregnant women in particular to identify risky pregnancies, in terms of understanding the need to go for antenatal care, and also the need to go and deliver in the health facility.
“We understand quite a number of women who prefer to deliver at home, and we are saying no to home delivery. Because delivering at home happens with a lot of risk.
She urged pregnant women to deliver in the care of a skilled birth attendant, and trained health workers.
In the same vein, she advised men to support their wives during pregnancy.
“They should help them get good health facility instead of leaving them to deliver at home. When a woman is in labor, she needs to be taken to the health facility to deliver. Particularly when labor pains have started, She cannot bear that pain and still walk to the health facility.So she needs some support.”she added.
Also speaking at the Dialogue the Mai Anguwa of Yimitu community, Dauda Ibrahim, appreciate Rotary RMCH for choosing their community, stating that it is a good development.
He further appealed to the group to build clinic in the community and also fix the road so it will be easy to transport pregnant women when they are due for delivery.
“The clinic is owned by non governmental organization and we appreciate the kind gesture. We need more hospitals in our community. The government should come to our aid”, he said.
A pregnant resident of the community, Mrs Comfort Emmanuel said she always goes to the hospital to deliver her babies.
“My two sisters died while giving birth at home and is very painful to me. I do not listen to what other women are saying but rather visit the Primary Health centre for my ante natal”, she said.