Vosloorus clinic urges involvement of fathers during pregnancy

Eluthandweni Maternity Clinic (EMC) celebrated Pregnancy Awareness Week on February 20, educating expecting mothers and fathers on what to anticipate during the gestation period at 1951 Ikhetini Street, Extension 3, Vosloorus.

The event was themed ‘Partner Friendly Day’ (PFD) as part of encouraging the fathers ’ participation and support for their partners during this thrilling journey.

Eluthandweni partnered with various NGOs, leading pharmacies and institutions to share their expertise on topics like postnatal depression and postpartum depression with couples who attended.

The stakeholders included Thalita Together, Flourish Mom, Mahlogonolo Thobile Foundation, Dis-cam, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute and Johannesburg Metro Clinics.

Professional nurse and CEO of EMC Nonina Diphoko said she started hosting PFD in 2018 during Pregnancy Awareness Week. She said she had to plan how to properly approach the week in a way that would have an impact on the community.

“That is why I themed it Partner Friendly Day whereby all pregnant women bring their partner or spouses along, even if it is a birthing partner whether it is a sister, mother or a friend. “This is for us to have a holistic approach to pregnancy because we need support for the mother, as some are first-time mothers and some are psycho-social stressors,” said Diphoko.

She said the aim is to reduce the increasing number of postnatal depression in the county. “We educate mothers on expectations during the maternal journey to ensure their well-being.

A mother diagnosed with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) should have a supportive structure. They need to be on bed rest, medication and eat correctly, unfortunately, without the required support they will not achieve this,” she stated.

She noted that since the introduction of the program, the clinic has seen more fathers respond positively. Some fathers take a day off to attend antenatal classes with their partners and stay with them until they finish checkups and exercises, and they become part of the health talks and ask questions, she added.

Diphoko said the clinic hosts both physical and virtual antenatal classes in partnership with Flourish Mom, which also sponsors mothers with free data for online classes. Antenatal classes help mothers prepare to give birth, breastfeed, and care for a newborn.

“In the early stages of pregnancy, the mothers attended every four weeks, during the second trimester they attend every third week and in the last trimester they attend weekly because anything can happen during that period.”

She emphasized that it is important for fathers to attend antenatal check-ups because there is information that is shared with mothers that they may not understand if they are not part of the sessions.

“For example, fathers may not understand why we instruct mothers to rest, they might question it and compare their partner with other pregnant women who can do home chores.

“Every pregnancy is different, a mother can have complications that may not allow her to stand for long and some have to abstain from sexual activities.

“By attending check-ups and classes, male partners will understand what is required of them. We need to explain why they must abstain from sex, especially, if the mother has a low-laying placenta they can lose the baby anytime.

“If the mother is diagnosed with PIH we can lose both her and the child during labour. Hypertension has to be kept low at all costs as it is the number one killer during gestation,” Diphoko detailed.

She explained that the most common challenge is that of excessive bleeding after delivery. “It is normal for it to happen but fatal if it is not attended to.

The cause could be prolonged labour which could lead to the uterus losing its atonement. After delivery, the uterus should contract and if it does not contract the mother will continue bleeding.

“That is why at times the last resort would be removing it to save the mother and it is unfortunate because that person will no longer have babies. To prevent taking extreme measures, we can solve 90% of the problems when the mother cooperates.”

She said sometimes mothers have an umbilical cord prolapse when it slips down before the baby is delivered after the waters have broken. When the cord comes into contact with air, it causes a spasm which is a sudden involuntary muscular contraction or convulsive movement that can prevent oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood circulation from the placenta to the fetus.

“If there is no circulation the baby will stop breathing. We instruct mothers to take a wormdamp pad, push the cord back in and immediately rush to the nearest clinic.”

Vosloorus-born occupational therapist Katiso Ndumo from Johannesburg Metro Clinics said occupational therapy is a lesser-known profession that focuses on patients’ daily functions.

“It helps individuals with disabilities or mental illnesses improve their activities, such as motivation, mood, sleep, and work coping.”

Ndumo informed mothers about challenges they may face during pregnancy and post-pregnancy, particularly postpartum depression, to help them navigate these challenges.

Thalita Together (TT) is one of the NPOs that presented. Their focus is empowering teenage mothers in Africa through education and entrepreneurship.

According to the founder of TT Cwenga Koyana, their aim is to empower young girls who experience teenage pregnancy to continue their education and pursue their dreams.

The initiative includes six pillars, namely, antenatal and postnatal classes, extra school lessons, entrepreneurial skills, mental health support, teen pregnancy prevention talks, and donations for babies and mothers.

Background

EMC was a birthing clinic established by her mother Dolly Dube in 1996 during the riots. She passed on in 2006. Her daughter Diphoko had to carry her mother’s legacy.

She enrolled at Ann Latsky Nursing College in Johannesburg to study nursing and did her advanced midwifery in 2018. With help from the Japanese Embassy, she could buy an ambulance and expand their services to include prenatal care, family planning and child immunization.

“I was a teacher when I resigned to study nursing full time.” Couples who wish to begin attending antenatal classes can contact EMC at 011 382 0466.