Childbirth in Africa

I chose Africa as my country to find out more on childbirth. In Africa, they have tribes and in each tribe has an African Birth Attendant. This person is a woman who has given birth and has received education on the proper technique of delivering babies. They began to receive schooling on this in the year of 2003, which was sponsor by Red Cross and other agencies. Although Africa is high in HIV aids epidemic, it was necessary to assist them in the prevention of giving it the children at birth. In South Africa, there are three out ten women, which are HIV positive. Therefore 90% of the children are born HIV positive. They use injections that can save the baby and the mom by slowing down the infection in the body to allow the parent to survive to watch their children grow up. Most of the women that are HIV positive do not know they are until they are pregnant. Therefore, the trainings that the Birth attendants (midwives) receive are vital in their country, because pregnant women will only confide in the midwives in the villages. In the video below it will show you what happens to women in the country that contracted aides and how hospitals, clinics, or midwives assist them in birth.

Before the midwives or birth attendants was taught the proper procedures on childbirth safety, they would use unclean cloth and dirty hands. They would also use knives on more than one woman before washing. At those times, sterilization was unheard of in the villages. Some women would give birth alone although it was very risky to health of the newborn and the infant fatality was very high. However, after the trainings they learn to wash their hands, use gloves, provide sterile blankets, knives, and bandages to tie the umbilical cord to prevent the death of the mother or baby. The video above shows a mother giving birth in one of the huts in her village. It could be in their homes or anywhere in a secluded place. The birth attendants always have some helpers to help with the delivery of the baby. They are there to support the mother and to wrap the baby after birth. The mother sits on a bucket to push out the placenta after birth and then she lays back down for rest with her baby in her arms.