Midwifery
One of our staff ladies in Iraq serves local women with a team of midwives who come together from three different organizations. They live in the same region, and all share a passion for empowering locals to provide better maternity care for their communities.
Below are brief descriptions of the various programs they facilitate:
The Postnatal Program
The Postnatal Program provides home visits to new moms & babies living in refugee camps who would not otherwise initiate care after birth. This team is made up of nine local nurses and midwives who provide home visits in numerous different IDP camps in their region.
The Hospital Project
They aim to facilitate change through assisting hospital management to raise the practices of the labor ward to match the hospital standards, so that women receive better quality of care. They provide “on-the-job” trainings for nurses when needed to implement new skills.
The Doula Initiative
The Doula Initiative is assisting locally trained and certified doulas in gaining hospitals’ support to serve women in childbirth and build sustainable businesses.
Doulas are trained labor companions who provide emotional, physical, and educational support to women before, during, and after childbirth.
There is a huge lack of respectful care shown to women during childbirth by medical staff. Husbands are not allowed to enter the maternity ward. Doulas are a new concept for this region so much pioneering work needs done.
“Everybody has a story. Woven into the story are clues for what motivates them in the present and what matters to them. Sharing stories creates opportunity for connection. Most women can tell you the story of the birth of each of their children in great detail, no matter if they are a grandma or expecting their second baby. These are stories that remain etched vividly in their memories.
Once a month our postnatal camp nurses and midwives hold a childbirth education class for pregnant women in a nearby IDP camp. Many women aren’t taught about birth so this class helps them to understand the process and learn what they can do to have a healthier pregnancy and labor. During that time birth stories are shared, and women have the opportunity to learn from each other and give and receive empathy. Most stories are filled with trauma because medical staff mistreat and abuse women during birth. However, I love to witness how connection is powerful and healing. As women have a safe place to share their experiences where they are understood and validated, they gain more courage and tools for facing birth again.”