“It does matter how we are born”.
(Michel Odent)
– and how we give birth as well.
Giving birth is a borderline experience. It brings women to their very limits.
In addition, birth is one of the most vulnerable and intimate situations a woman can find herself in.
Therefore, in a society with high power distance and little knowledge about the birth process, women often experience themselves as being at the mercy of health care professionals.
As healthcare professionals, we have tremendous power.
Knowledge is power. Being the person who knows what to do when someone feels helpless is powerful.
Our power can be abused – but it is created to serve.
It is in our power how a woman goes home after giving birth.
Is she overwhelmed by what she has accomplished, fascinated by what her body has managed and how brilliantly it was created, empowered because she was part of decision-making in the birthing process and can now go home without fear because she understands what is happening and what to look out for? Or is she beside herself, resigned and re-traumatized as she not only lost control, but her boundaries were crossed multiple times? Is she full of fear because things happened to her body that she didn’t understand, she is overwhelmed with herself and now she is supposed to take care of a newborn and doesn’t know how?
As healthcare professionals, we have tremendous power.
Knowledge is power. Being the person who knows what to do when someone feels helpless is powerful.
Our power can be abused – but it is created to serve.
It is in our power how a woman goes home after giving birth.
Is she overwhelmed by what she has accomplished, fascinated by what her body has managed and how brilliantly it was created, empowered because she was part of decision-making in the birthing process and can now go home without fear because she understands what is happening and what to look out for? Or is she beside herself, resigned and re-traumatized as she not only lost control, but her boundaries were crossed multiple times? Is she full of fear because things happened to her body that she didn’t understand, she is overwhelmed with herself and now she is supposed to take care of a newborn and doesn’t know how?
“Every birth brings a changed woman into the world, and it is our social responsibility to ensure that this change is a good one”
(Nora Imlau)
The obstetric situation in Northern Iraq.
Many women suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to war, flight, or sexual violence experiences. This makes it all the more important that women receive trauma-sensitive care in the obstetric setting, are asked for consent in their treatment, and understand what is happening to them.
However, women regularly describe their birth experience as assaultive, violent, and re-traumatizing due to staff shortages in the health care system, a lack of practice in asking for consent or explaining procedures, and practices that do not meet WHO standards.
Vision Statement
We want to see midwives in Northern Iraq empowered to accompany and empower women and their families in pregnancy, birth and postpartum in an appreciative and safe manner. We want to achieve this by practicing with them, providing continuing education for surrounding hospitals, and modeling best practice care.
Vision Statement
We want to see midwives in Northern Iraq empowered to accompany and empower women and their families in pregnancy, birth and postpartum in an appreciative and safe manner. We want to achieve this by practicing with them, providing continuing education for surrounding hospitals, and modeling best practice care.
The ‘Birthing Better’ – Project
Birth preparation course training in the refugee camp.
Education among women and multiplication into local midwives are cornerstones of our work. Since 2021, our team has trained midwives and nurses from the Refugee Camp to offer childbirth preparation classes to pregnant women in their camp. From each training, we have been able to hire midwives to help women from their community ease their fears around birth through education and empower them to make good choices for their health and that of their unborn.
Postpartum visits in the refugee camp.
In northern Iraq, 31 out of every 1,000 newborns die. Mostly from causes that can be easily prevented with midwifery care in the postpartum period. Over the past 2 years, outreach teams with local midwives have been started in several camps to provide postpartum visits and breastfeeding support in camp tents, identifying illnesses early, empowering mothers with advice and encouragement, and helping them spot potential dangers in their children.
Plans for the future
Social media such as YouTube are also widely used in northern Iraq. New mothers are also online a lot. We want to take advantage of this and produce short educational videos in Kurdish with information for mothers about pregnancy, birth and postpartum in order to reach and educate more women more quickly.
Birth preparation course training in the refugee camp.
Education among women and multiplication into local midwives are cornerstones of our work. Since 2021, our team has trained midwives and nurses from the Refugee Camp to offer childbirth preparation classes to pregnant women in their camp. From each training, we have been able to hire midwives to help women from their community ease their fears around birth through education and empower them to make good choices for their health and that of their unborn.
Postpartum visits in the refugee camp.
In northern Iraq, 31 out of every 1,000 newborns die. Mostly from causes that can be easily prevented with midwifery care in the postpartum period. Over the past 2 years, outreach teams with local midwives have been started in several camps to provide postpartum visits and breastfeeding support in camp tents, identifying illnesses early, empowering mothers with advice and encouragement, and helping them discover potential dangers in their children.
Plans for the future
Social media such as YouTube are also widespread in northern Iraq. New mothers are also online a lot. We want to take advantage of this and produce short educational videos in Kurdish with information for mothers about pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, so that we can reach and educate more women more quickly.
Support for healthcare personnel
In 2023, we plan to support midwives, nurses and medical staff in local hospitals with advanced education and training according to demand and need. Among other things, the focus will be on trauma-sensitive care. The local Ministry of Health asked us to introduce the WHO standards in this birth center, but first trust and relationships need to be built before change processes can be considered.
Antenatal care in the refugee camp
We care for pregnant women in one of the refugee camps in the region, ensuring that the baby grows in a timely manner, offering support for ailments, and planning their birth with the women. When the birth begins, we accompany them to the newly opened birthing center, where we work with the health staff to model birth care that is low-violence, appreciative, and in line with the guidelines.
Support for healthcare personnel
In 2023, we plan to support midwives, nurses and medical staff in local hospitals with advanced education and training according to demand and need. Among other things, the focus will be on trauma-sensitive care. The local Ministry of Health asked us to introduce the WHO standards in this birth center, but first trust and relationships need to be built before change processes can be considered.
Antenatal care in the refugee camp
We care for pregnant women in one of the refugee camps in the region, ensuring that the baby grows in a timely manner, offering support for ailments, and planning their birth with the women. When the birth begins, we accompany them to the newly opened birthing center, where we work with the health staff to model birth care that is low-violence, appreciative, and in line with the guidelines.
