Healthy Births

Healthy Births
Healthy Birth Program

ICC is doing something about infant mortality in Haiti. Help us save the lives of children with this easy and fun program, building Healthy Birth Kits for Haitian mothers-to-be. Click here to learn more.

A healthy entry into this life is the birthright of every child. Yet in Haiti, a healthy birth is not something taken for granted. Haiti has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world.

In developing countries infant and maternal mortality is most frequently caused by infectious disease, pregnancy-related complications and delivery-related complications. An indirect cause is inadequate access to quality medical care. Most Haitian women lack the finances for an institutional delivery and do not have access to professional services. Over 80% of all births in Haiti occur at home and 50% of those without any outside assistance.

In an effort to reduce the unnecessary suffering and death associated with childbearing, International Child Care implemented the Healthy Birth Program. TBAs, or midwives, are the principal source of care for pregnant women in Haiti. Therefore, ICC trains TBAs in the techniques of delivery, importance of proper hygiene, signs of complications in pregnancy or delivery, and the dangers of certain traditional Haitian practices. Once formally trained, a TBA receives a certificate and delivery kit, and is required to attend regular refresher courses.

Una entrada sana a esta vida es el derecho de cada niño. Pero en Haití, un nacimiento sano no es algo dado por sentado. Haití tiene uno de los ratos lo más altos de la mortalidad de infantes y madres en todo el mundo.

En los países en vías de desarrollar, la mortalidad infantil y maternal es causada de más frecuencia de la enfermedad contagiosa, complicaciones relatadas al embarazo y complicaciones durante el nacimiento. Una causa indirecta es el acceso inadecuado la asistencia médica. La mayoría de haitianas no tienen el dinero por un nacimiento institucional y no tienen acceso a los servicios profesionales. Más que 80% de todos los nacimientos en Haití ocurren en casa y 50% de estos ocurren sin ninguna forma de asistencia de afuera.

En una fuerza de reducir el sufrimiento y muerte asociada con el nacimiento, Internacional Child Care ha implementado la Programa de Nacimiento Sano. Entregas Tradicionales del Nacimiento (ETN), o parteras, son la fuente principal de cuidado por las mujeres embarazadas en Haití. Por eso, ICC da el entrenamiento a los ETN en las técnicas del parto, la importancia de la higiene, señales de complicaciones en el embarazo y el parto, y los riesgos de algunas prácticas tradicionales haitianas. Cuando uno tiene el entrenamiento formal, un ETN recibe una certificación y un botiquín de nacimiento, y tiene que asistir a cursos regularmente.

A healthy entry into this life is the birthright of every child. Yet in Haiti, a healthy birth is not something taken for granted. Haiti has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world.

In developing countries infant and maternal mortality is most frequently caused by infectious disease, pregnancy-related complications and delivery-related complications. An indirect cause is inadequate access to quality medical care. Most Haitian women lack the finances for an institutional delivery and do not have access to professional services. Over 80% of all births in Haiti occur at home and 50% of those without any outside assistance.

In an effort to reduce the unnecessary suffering and death associated with childbearing, International Child Care implemented the Healthy Birth Program. TBAs, or midwives, are the principal source of care for pregnant women in Haiti. Therefore, ICC trains TBAs in the techniques of delivery, importance of proper hygiene, signs of complications in pregnancy or delivery, and the dangers of certain traditional Haitian practices. Once formally trained, a TBA receives a certificate and delivery kit, and is required to attend regular refresher courses.

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