In Ethiopia, Nurses and Midwives Help Mothers Overcome the Pain and Shame of Fistula

By Katherine Seaton, Editorial Officer ; Omar Mohammed, Program OfficerApril 15, 2020Anab Farah, a young woman in Somali State, Ethiopia, thought she was prepared for the birth of her first child. But when she went into labor at her home, she wasn’t able to give birth. For 24 hours, she suffered from obstructed labor. Her traditional birth attendant didn’t know what to do and, after using inappropriate procedures to induce delivery, Anab was told she had to go to a nearby health center to complete her delivery.When she arrived at the Lafa Ciise Health Center, a midwife helped her deliver a healthy baby boy. The next day, she was sent home without any information or knowledge that she had developed obstetric fistula.A consequence of prolonged or obstructed labor, obstetric fistula is a hole that forms between the vagina and the bladder and/or rectum. It happens when a baby’s head or other body part presses too long against the soft tissue in the mother’s pelvis and cuts off the blood flow. Within three to ten days, the tissue may die and create an opening. The mother will then suffer chronic urinary and/or fecal incontinence.Anab is one of the over70% of women who give birth in Ethiopia without a skilled medical professional. This leads to an estimated 36,000 women in Ethiopia who live with obstetric fistula, and over 3,000 new cases occur each year.Anab did not know why she was in pain and was ashamed of her incontinence, so she kept it secret and ...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Maternal, Newborn, & Child Health Midwives Source Type: news