Technical Areas
Birth Preparation, Including Nutrition Promotion and Infection Control
Birth preparation actively involves the community in recognizing
the need for skilled care for all births and advocating qualified personnel,
24-hour service, and culturally acceptable care. Preparation for reaching essential
obstetric and newborn care in the event of pregnancy and birth complications,
newborn health emergency is promoted while recognizing that in many cultures
a strong preference for home
birth
remains. Acknowledging that most births occur at home, USAID's neonatal health
activities prioritize postpartum care in the home soon after birth to address
the immediate needs of both mother and newborn. Appropriate behavior change
communications programs are implemented to encourage good self
care
including
hygiene, sanitation,
nutrition,
condom
and bed net use, and avoidance of toxins (alcohol, nicotine, etc.) that can
be harmful to the developing fetus.
Community-based maternal and newborn care interventions are
encouraged to prepare families for emergencies that happen away from a health
center or hospital. Community-based maternal health interventions have included
teaching families and entire communities how to recognize birth complications
and where to bring a mother for emergency care. Activities might include pre-identifying
transportation to a hospital, identifying a blood donor for the mother, and
a savings plan for health care costs. Community-based newborn care interventions
are similar, teaching and promoting emergency and non-emergency planning activities
for care of the child once it is born. Activities might include pre-arranging
a postpartum care visit by a skilled provider either in the home or health
facility to check if the mother and baby are well.
In addition, USAID supports evidence-based high quality prenatal care. This
includes advocacy and technical support for feeding the mother and supplementation
with essential micronutrients. Infection prevention and control includes,
as appropriate, tetanus toxoid immunization, HIV/AIDS prevention services
for mother during and after pregnancy, prevention
of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV,
intermittent treatment for malaria,
detection and treatment of syphilis, and treatment for helminths.
Related Links
- Addressing Gender in Maternal and Newborn Healthcare [PDF, 81KB]
- Igniting Change: Accelerating Collective Action for Reproductive Health and Safe Motherhood [PDF, 833KB]
- Indonesia Maternal and Neonatal Program [PDF, 370KB]
- Indonesian Mothers Surviving Childbirth More Often with Support from Husbands, Community, Faith-based Groups
- Informed Demand for Safe Motherhood [PDF, 126KB]
- Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS: Reducing the Risk [PDF, 128KB]
- Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Community-Based Approach Proves Effective in Rural Indonesia [PDF, 128KB]
- Shaping Policy for Maternal and Newborn Health [PDF, 864KB]
- The Skilled Provider: A Key Player in Saving the Lives of Women and Newborns
- The Traditional Birth Attendant: Linking Communities and Services [PDF, 84KB]
- UNICEF: Antenatal Care in Developing Countries - Promises, Achievements and Missed Opportunities [PDF, 650KB]
- WHO/UNICEF: Far More Pregnant Women Getting Antenatal Care
Technical Guides
- Basic Maternal and Newborn Care: A Guide for Skilled Providers
- Birth Preparedness and Complication
Readiness [PDF, 329KB]
- Competency-Based Training:
A “Learning by Doing” Approach [PDF, 99KB]
- Detection and Management of
Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
to Prevent Complications [PDF, 89KB]
- Focused Antenatal Care: Planning and Providing Care during Pregnancy [PDF, 257KB]
- Guidelines for Assessment of Skilled Providers after Training in Maternal and Newborn Healthcare [PDF, 624KB]
- Maternal Morbidity in Labour and Puerperium in Rural Homes and the Need for Medical Attention: A Prospective Observational Study in Gadchiroli, India [MS Word, 214KB]
- Nutritional Interventions to Improve Maternal and Newborn Health and Survival [PDF, 159KB]
- Prevention and Treatment of Malaria During Pregnancy [PDF, 141KB]
- Quality Assurance Project's Safe Motherhood Research Published in International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
- Using Performance and Quality Improvement to Strengthen Skilled Attendance [PDF, 138KB]
- Women-Centered Care [PDF, 94KB]
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