Frontline workers: Paediatrician empowers maternity staff during pregnancy awareness week
“Pregnancy awareness week allows us to strengthen knowledge and educate on issues surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.”
Pregnancy awareness week was commemorated on February 10 to 16. The week was all about shining a light on pregnancy education and promoting healthy pregnancy and safe motherhood.
Life Roseacres Hospital paediatrician Dr Hassina Ebrahim hosted an empowerment meeting for the maternity nursing staff. Ebrahim is passionate about education and felt it was important to empower the maternity nursing staff during the awareness week with valuable knowledge on mother and baby care during pregnancy and birth.
“Pregnancy awareness week allows us to strengthen knowledge and educate on issues surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. “In developing countries, conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth constitute the second leading causes (after HIV/Aids) of death among women of reproductive age. More than 135 million women give birth per year. About 20 million of them are estimated to experience pregnancy-related illness after childbirth. The list of morbidities include fever, anaemia, fistula, incontinence, infertility and mental health conditions,” said Ebrahim.
Women are encouraged to start attending antenatal care as soon as they suspect they are pregnant and within their first trimester. Early antenatal care attendance provides the opportunity to exclude and manage existing medical conditions, which can be aggravated by the pregnancy, such as hypertension, diabetes, infections and anaemia.
GCN asked how the pandemic affected the maternity ward and how the hospital ensured the pregnancy and birth was still a joyous moment. Ebrahim said changes were made but they still kept the partners involved in the journey.
“Covid-19 has changed so many aspects of our lives, including how new life is brought into the world. We welcome the presence of the father or partner during the delivery, but special precautions are taken to limit contact with hospital employees.
“The father or partner is required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) during the birth of the baby in the delivery room or theatre. “Our nurses assist with the safe donning and doffing of PPE. The duration of the visit is limited to the labour and delivery of the baby until mommy is transferred back to the ward. If the mom has Covid-19, we monitor both mom and baby closely,” said the doctor.
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Marietta Lombard (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, or (Journalists) Busi Vilakazi busiv@caxton.co.za , and Lebogang Sekgwama lebogangs@caxton.co.za.
