It’s a muggy morning, you’re waiting. Not yet, but something at the community center is slowly taking shape. It’s the beginning of a two-day pilot training for traditional birth attendants (TBAs) by the UCLA pediatric residents Grace Deukmedjian, Mary Limbo and Michelle Aguilar. They posed the question early on: “What can you do to improve health in your community?”
One woman raised her hand and asked: “If there isn’t a car, what can we do?” TBAs are busiest in resource-poor environments. When there is not a health facility present- these are the women that expectant mothers turn to. They are well-experienced in delivering babies, but lack the same education and training that nurses and midwives have. A large part of their training is knowing when to refer women to better equipped health facilities.
Theoretically this works. Except places where TBAs deliver babies are places that do not have cars. This question prompted our residents to acknowledge an important point. We are in a rural village, births do not always go according to plan, and the situation will rarely be ideal. In this environment, the goal of the TBAs remains the same: do everything you can to protect the health of the mother and the baby.
For now, the best way to achieve this goal is preparation. Many of the area TBAs came. They were older women, each dressed in traditional fabrics with colorful intricate patterns and lively facial expressions. They chimed in with thoughtful questions and waited expectantly to see what their colleagues (Ghanaian and American) had to say. Many of the women nodded along and you could hear the occasional “mhmm” and “ehhen” in agreement. They are a group of women who care deeply about their patients and want to do everything that they can to best serve them.
There was no sense of privilege or superiority. This was a meeting of people who care for infants; cooperating and sharing their best methods. A translator was often needed, but the conversation flowed freely as the women discussed their experiences. Lessons evolved during the training and were tailored to respond to the questions raised by the participants. When the TBAs were split into small groups for skills practice, smiles and cheers erupted from each station from time to time, marking a newly breathing “baby.”
The residents have been in Ghana for about three weeks and have been extraordinarily busy. Beyond the pilot TBA training focused on neonatal resuscitation, clean delivery, and guidelines for referral, they have also been responsible for refresher trainings for area nurses and midwives. The residents are packing in way more than they anticipated, but simply explain their obligation: “Since we’re here, we’re gonna do it!”
After the TBA training finished, each woman was given a new kit of supplies and some minerals to drink (the TBAs all chose Sprite and residents all chose Coke). The pilot’s lasting impact is yet to be seen, but the TBAs have each found easy changes they can make to better their practice. If you can improve your ability to safely deliver and care for babies, you can improve health in your community.
To see more pictures from UCLA trainings, be sure to check out our Facebook where they will be posted on the 16th!
One woman raised her hand and asked: “If there isn’t a car, what can we do?” TBAs are busiest in resource-poor environments. When there is not a health facility present- these are the women that expectant mothers turn to. They are well-experienced in delivering babies, but lack the same education and training that nurses and midwives have. A large part of their training is knowing when to refer women to better equipped health facilities.
Theoretically this works. Except places where TBAs deliver babies are places that do not have cars. This question prompted our residents to acknowledge an important point. We are in a rural village, births do not always go according to plan, and the situation will rarely be ideal. In this environment, the goal of the TBAs remains the same: do everything you can to protect the health of the mother and the baby.
For now, the best way to achieve this goal is preparation. Many of the area TBAs came. They were older women, each dressed in traditional fabrics with colorful intricate patterns and lively facial expressions. They chimed in with thoughtful questions and waited expectantly to see what their colleagues (Ghanaian and American) had to say. Many of the women nodded along and you could hear the occasional “mhmm” and “ehhen” in agreement. They are a group of women who care deeply about their patients and want to do everything that they can to best serve them.
The residents have been in Ghana for about three weeks and have been extraordinarily busy. Beyond the pilot TBA training focused on neonatal resuscitation, clean delivery, and guidelines for referral, they have also been responsible for refresher trainings for area nurses and midwives. The residents are packing in way more than they anticipated, but simply explain their obligation: “Since we’re here, we’re gonna do it!” After the TBA training finished, each woman was given a new kit of supplies and some minerals to drink (the TBAs all chose Sprite and residents all chose Coke). The pilot’s lasting impact is yet to be seen, but the TBAs have each found easy changes they can make to better their practice. If you can improve your ability to safely deliver and care for babies, you can improve health in your community.
To see more pictures from UCLA trainings, be sure to check out our Facebook where they will be posted on the 16th!
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