Chapter 7: Learning a pregnant woman’s health history
What else in her life might affect her pregnancy and birth?
Money
Not having enough money causes many problems for women and their families.
It causes physical problems, like not having enough food. And it also causes
emotional problems, like feeling stress, fear, and sadness. All of these problems
can make pregnancy, birth, and raising children much harder.
The very least that a woman needs during pregnancy is healthy food and a way
to get medical help in an emergency.
If the woman you are helping cannot afford these things, help her find them or
borrow them.
Living conditions
• Is there a clean and private place she can give birth?
• Is clean water available?
• Does anyone in her house have a serious disease that she might
catch (contagious disease)?
• Does anyone smoke cigarettes in the house? Is there a smoky cooking stove
inside the house? This smoke is very harmful.
Help her find a clean, safe place to give birth.
Distance from care
• Will she be able to come to her
pregnancy checkups? Can you
go to her?
• If she lives far away, can you
teach her to do some of the
pregnancy checkup herself?
• How far is the maternity center,
clinic, or hospital? Does she
need to stay somewhere else
near the end of her pregnancy to
be closer to medical help?
• Is there a telephone or radio she
can use in an emergency?
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A Book for Midwives (2010)