Respectful maternal care and by who? perspectives of Somali community at IFO refugee Camp, Dadaab, Kenya
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Date
2022
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International Journal of Pregnancy & Child Birth
Abstract
Respectful maternity care is where women are accorded the freedom to make informed
choices, protects them from any form of harm and harassment, provides continuous support
during labour and child birth and also upholds their privacy, confidentiality and dignity.
Previous studies have demonstrated that any care deemed to disrespect the woman may
henceforth determine her care seeking behaviour. In the lacuna created by some forms
of disrespect of women of child bearing age in the healthcare system, some women may
seek alternative care from traditional birth attendants, who are neither skilled nor able
to promptly recognize, manage or refer complications arising during pregnancy, labour,
child birth and puerperium. Globally, the high maternal mortality rate is associated with
preventable complications which occur during pregnancy, labour, child birth and the
puerperium, with those who encounter near misses or who narrowly survive death, end
up suffering lifelong disability which affects their quality of life. Services offered by
traditional birth attendants (TBAs) continue to be sort by a few women of reproductive age
in both rural and urban settings including Dadaab, despite the availability of both public
and private health facilities. TBAs are preferred among the Somali community as they are
deemed to offer a type of care that is regarded as being respectable to the woman and her
family as well as being aligned to their culture and religion. Hence, this study aimed to
investigate the perspectives of the Somali community residing in Dadaab refugee camps on
respectful maternal care. A qualitative study was conducted at Ifo refugee camp in Dadaab,
where three TBAs, two save mothers, two married men and two expectant women were
interviewed. Two focused group discussions were conducted among the men and pregnant
women. The TBAs and the save mothers were interviewed. The TBAs were also video
recorded as they performed some of their activities. Data was coded, categorized into
thematic areas and the content was analyzed. The findings demonstrated that TBAs and
save mothers accorded the women both social and psychological support during pregnancy,
child birth, and postnatal period, and treated them with respect. They accompanied the
mother throughout the labour and childbirth and gave her so much encouragement. The
findings further revealed that cultural beliefs and practices such as prayer, disposal of the
placenta and the gender of the care provider, play a big role in maternal care of the women.
The placenta is valued as a significant part of the woman’s body and thus has to be buried
according to their culture, as opposed to it being disposed of after giving birth in a health
facility. Respectful maternal care should be accorded to all women irrespective of their
background and should also be culturally sensitive
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Citation
Kituku, J., Mwoma, T., Gitome, J., Kahumbi, N., Ndegwa, P., Mainah, M., & Bagelman, J. (2022). Respectful maternal care and by who? Perspectives of Somali community at IFO refugee Camp, Dadaab, Kenya. Int J Pregnancy Child Birth, 8(1), 4-10.