Practice 4: Skilled Birth Attendance

Have your babies’ delivery be attended by a skilled birth attendant to avoid complications.

• Ask the mother if she knows who the Skilled Birth Attendant (SBA) is.
• Ask her if she had SBA at birth and if she didn’t ask why.
• Listen attentively.

• Appreciate if she and her family understand the importance of an SBA and if the woman is consulting someone.
• If not, discuss and try to get to the root of the problem. If she didn’t have SBA at birth what were the barriers and what could have helped. Do they not trust a SBA, or money or distance is a reason?

1. Guide the woman so that she can start saving money before time. Or, every woman requires proper check-up from a skilled birth attendant (SBA) and the family should plan to have a SBA at birth.
2. Practice with the mother on talking with husband/family about this matter.

• It is important to know who the skilled birth attendant is in your community.
• Couple should go together to the health facility for regular check-ups when the woman is pregnant.
• Skilled birth attendant can:
  • attend delivery safely,
  • recognize danger signs,
  • advise the woman and her family about what actions to take in case of danger signs,
  • manage and refer complications to appropriate health facility.