Page 24 - EMBRACE Book
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Cheap,Cambodia
accommodate the births at the health centre.
“I decided to be a midwife because I love this But since ADRA has built this birthing centre
kind of work and because I wanted to help next to the health centre, I would say that about
ladies be safe during pregnancy and delivery. 90% of the women in the surrounding villages
When I was 18 years old I loved to follow and are now having their babies at the birthing
help the traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in clinic, which is much more sanitary for the
my village when they were delivering babies. I mothers and the baby.
learned a lot from helping them and gained a
lot of experience. The birthing clinic here also has a large
recovery ward where mothers can stay for 24
When the Khmer Rouge regime took over the hours after they give birth. That gives us the
country in 1975, I already had built up a opportunity to monitor both mother and baby
reputation for knowing how to deliver babies. I for any complications after delivery. During this
was recruited to be a midwife and go and work time we also have lots of time to do education
in the camps to help the women deliver their with the mother on breastfeeding and good
babies. From that time up until now I would say nutrition.
that I have delivered about 1,000 children.
When a woman arrives at the birthing clinic in
After the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979, I was labour, if she still has some time before birth,
recruited by the new government to continue we will get her to take a shower. We will then Photo: © 2019 ADRA | Frank Spangler
my work as a midwife. I went to Phnom Phenh get her on the examination table and check her
for more training and then returned to the blood pressure and other vital signs. We check
Preah Vihear province. In my training, I how far along she is, how much she is dilated,
learned more about nutrition for mother and how far apart the pains are. If it is not time, we
baby, I learned about the warning signs of get her to walk around a little. When she is
complications, and how to deal with ready we get her onto the birthing table, ready
complications both during delivery and after. for delivery.
For many years the trained midwives in this We are very thankful to ADRA and the people of
province have worked in competition with each Canada for providing this birthing clinic and
other. But now it is much better. We are the equipment for our community, as well as
working together with the same goal of having the training that we are now getting with the
communities of healthy mothers and babies. EMBRACE program. The training has done a lot
to bring midwives and TBAs together. The TBAs
It used to be, even quite recently, that about now have a new supportive role to play in their
50% of mothers would just have their babies in villages that is really working together well
the village and not come to the health centre. with the midwifery program in the province.”
There really was not even enough room to
Photo: © 2019 ADRA | Frank Spangler Photo: © 2019 ADRA | Frank Spangler
