The problem we face in SA is that many pregnant women don’t go for adequate antenatal care. Today I met a young mother with a beautiful baby girl who is brain damaged after her birth. Baby girl was in a breach position and the mother was unaware as she did not go for any antenatal check-ups or ultrasounds. Many clinics in the Helderberg offer antenatal care and mothers are encouraged to go for at least one ultrasound during their pregnancy. This is free.
However, many women across all cultures believe that since pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding is all natural, things just go naturally. Often not much thought goes into it at all, it’s just life. This baby girl could have and should have been a normal, healthy, happy girl. But she’s not, because of a culture of uneducated, unempowered women. This young mother (she is herself only 19 years old!) has to spend the rest of her life caring for a disabled daughter.
Our challenge is to encourage women to go for their check-ups, to empower women to ask questions and to teach women how to properly care for themselves and their babies.
During April and May we will be making an educational antenatal dvd with the purpose of playing it in our local clinics when women go for their check-ups. This dvd will cover topics such as danger signs in pregnancy, what to expect during labour, the first few hours after birth and caring for a newborn. Our dvd will be done in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa and only about half-an-hour long and our high-tech friends from Life church will be handling the videography. Thanks in advance to Jo Swart for organising this for us.
Bosom Buddies New Moms Support Group
During March our New Moms Support Group kicked off and even though it is a slow start, we are very encouraged by the few women who have joined us for tea and a chat with their babies. Our group runs on Wednesday mornings from 10 till 12 at our sewing room. We offer breastfeeding advice as well as answer any questions a new mom might have in caring for her baby. Tuli and I have received training from the Department of Health and will go on further training during May.
Bosom Buddies celebrates the Royal Wedding
On 29 April Prince William will be marrying Kate Middleton. Bosom Buddies is hosting a high tea at Life Church to watch the wedding live! Please join us for a fun-filled afternoon, full of glamour, champagne and prizes. Contact Frances at doulafrances@thembalitsha.org.za or 0827691380 for more info and tickets.
Many thanks to our wonderful hard-working volunteers. We appreciate you and all you do don’t go unnoticed.
