Page 25 - EMBRACE Book
P. 25

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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
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