Abu Dhabi: To ensure better health and comfort for new mothers and their babies, pregnant women across the country have been urged to treat childbirth as a regular experience.
At a conference in the capital yesterday, maternity health experts said that normalising childbirths would relieve the stress most women associate with the birthing process, as well as encourage them to seek the advice and support of trained midwives.
"Currently, most women prefer to visit their doctors and give birth in hospital settings, which creates the impression that they are sick and adds stress. In the majority of cases, when there are no complications, hospital births are unnecessary, and deliveries can be undertaken in familiar settings like home," said Jane Abdul Ali, president of the midwives section at the Emirates Nursing Association (ENA).
Challenges in the region
"Since midwives are specifically trained to ease the birthing process, and also understand when to seek medical help, they would help normalise and ease childbirth for many women," she added.
Jane was speaking at the fourth annual Midwifery Conference, which saw maternal health and childbirth experts discuss the challenges faced by midwives in the region.
According to World Health Organisation statistics presented at the conference, there is currently a global shortage of 350,000 midwives. As a result, one in three women around the world is forced to give birth without expert help, which increases the risk of both infant and maternal mortality.
In the UAE, standards for the practice, education and licencing of nurses and midwives are expected to be released in early 2012 by the Ministry of Health. And although the country fares well in providing assistance during childbirth, Jane said there was still a distinct lack of awareness about the roles of midwives.
"Many women give birth in a hospital and after they leave the facility, they receive scant assistance with their newborns. In contrast, mothers who have the support of a midwife continue to receive essential childcare advice for about two weeks after the delivery," she said.
Most women were still unaware of the fact that they can actually choose where they want to give birth, the midwifery expert added.
Simple practices
"When there are no complications, deliveries can be just as safe and more comfortable for women if they occur at home or in community health centres," she explained.
Asked about when women should recruit midwifery services, Jane recommended that the ideal time was 12 weeks into a pregnancy.
"Then on, the midwife can assist women to learn about simple practices that protect mothers' and newborns' health, for example the need for regular handwashing and breastfeeding," she said.
At the Corniche Hospital, the capital's renowned maternity facility, a recent 18-month programme is working to train both expatriate and Emirati midwives, said Sheri Wakins, the hospital's director of midwifery and nursing.
