(From left: SurfAid's Beta and Dian and Ibus Rosmaulanti and Isabella.)

SurfAid Helps Deliver A Healthy Baby

A recent survey by SurfAid’s Community Based Health Program staff found that nine out of 10 women in the Mentawai use the services of the local village Traditional Birthing Attendant (TBA) to assist with childbirth.

Ibu Isabella is one of the TBAs who joined in SurfAid’s ‘Healthy Pregnancy and Clean Birthing’ training which took place in April 2010 at the Quiksilver SurfAid Community Health Training Centre.

One of the aims of the training session was to upskill local TBAs in clean birthing techniques. At the completion of the training, the 23 participants were given a clean birthing kit to take home.

Not long after the training, Ibu Isabella had a chance to try out her new skills when she assisted another local woman, Ibu Rosmaulanti, in the delivery of her second child on 24 April. She was helped by SurfAid community facilitator Dian, who also attended the training session.  The birth went well.

On retelling the story, Dian said: “I was actually really scared when I saw all the blood but put on a brave face and remained confident because I remembered the birthing steps we had learnt during the training.”

Ibu Isabella and Dian have been paying regular visits to Ibu Rosmaulanti's home to pass on neonatal messages such as the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and taking her new baby to Posyandu (the mother/child clinic) for monthly checkups and immunisation.

By Mentawai Program Manager Tom Plummer