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If only men could get pregnant and give birth,
they would appreciate the strength of their women |
"WHEN THE MEN START GIVING BIRTH"
Today, you and I are going to change the story of
creation!!! Of course, I am not talking about creating new software or
inventing a new technology; I am referring to the real story of the creation of
man. Have you ever wondered how the world would be, if the words of God changed
after he found that Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit? What if there
was an exchange of roles, sounding like this:
“…And
to you Adam, I will make your pains
in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to
children. Your desire will be for your wife, and she will rule over you…”
This I’m pretty sure would have made the world a sane place
and made a big difference. Really!
If only men would go through the painful process of keeping a pregnancy and giving birth, a majority of the men who do not, will appreciate the strength of their women and the special attention they need.
Married or unmarried, people have sex for all the reasons
there can be. When pregnancies come, it then becomes the sole responsibility of
the woman to bear all the stress and tiredness during pregnancy, the
excruciating pain of childbirth and the responsibility of breastfeeding,
changing diapers and more after delivery. Now is the time to define the real
responsibilities of men in the lives of their pregnant partners, daughters and
children.
Though they may seem farther to reach, organizations and agencies such as the United
Nations Population Fund(UNFPA) are close enough and vigorously leading the
campaign towards securing the lives of our pregnant women, however, some of the men who are major ‘investors’ in
creating the pregnancies are just too busy to care. So now, you may be wondering what on earth the
man is expected to do, except to relish the pride in being able to get his
woman pregnant and preparing for the naming ceremony. Well, there’s a lot more
responsibility than that vague description of the role of men in caring for
pregnant women.
To set the premise, I need to give you the very reason
agencies such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are calling for all-inclusiveness
in fighting mortality among pregnant women. The death of a woman while pregnant or within
42 days of termination of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by
the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes
is what best describes maternal mortality.
This can be measured in terms of maternal mortality ratio, which is the number
of maternal deaths during a given time period per 100,000 live births (WHO,
UNICEF, UNFPA & The World Bank 2012). It must be acknowledged that
thousands of lives worth saving have been lost from maternal mortality.
In Ghana, where the maternal mortality ratio is 350 deaths
for every 100,000 live births, (one of the highest in the world) women die
daily from pregnancy related complications. These deaths occur regardless of
the many efforts which were put forth to meet the fifth goal of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), by September this year. 2015 is here, and unfortunately, Ghana is
unlikely to meet this target. All these give rise to the need to having the
support of everyone including men.
If only men would be by the side of their women and support
them through it all, some of the deaths associated with pregnancy would be
prevented.
Now these are three very important ways men can help in
improving maternal care in Ghana.
Men Need to Educate Themselves on Pregnancy
Women react differently when pregnant, from the swelling
feet to the morning sicknesses and pretty annoying habits. When you are willing
to accept these changes your wife might be going through, your possibility of
understanding her is assuring enough of your support. I believe men can educate
themselves on taking care of their pregnant wives by reading books and other
materials, and also speaking to a professional. If men are involve in the
process, such as accompanying their pregnant partners to anti natal care, it
will help clear the misconceptions and superstition associated with pregnancy
and help contribute to healthy lifestyles of pregnant women.
Encourage Women to Seek Pre-Natal Care and Post- Natal Care
Men’s role in ensuring good health care of their wives is
very essential in the life of pregnant women.
This will help reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and ensure
good health of the unborn child. In most Ghanaian societies where the man is
the head of the family, the woman is expected to consult the man before taking any
decision of going to the hospital or the clinic to seek medical help. This can
be dangerous to the health of the woman since emergencies cannot be managed at
home or by Traditional Birth Attendants. Therefore, encouraging pregnant women
to visit health centers immediately there is an emergency is a crucial role
which needs to be played by men.
Leaders (men) should involve Maternal Health in key Policies and Ensure
proper Implementation
The free maternal health policy in Ghana, which was an initiative
by the Ministry of Health, and launched in 2008 to provide subsidized health
insurance to pregnant women in the country is one of the interventions by Ghanaian
leaders to help address the challenges pregnant women face with regard to
access to healthcare delivery services. This initiative is one of the few
policies by the country’s leadership with central focus on the healthcare of
pregnant women in Ghana. According to an
evaluation report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the free
maternal healthcare initiative in Ghana in 2012, it was found that, since the
inception of the initiative in 2008, there has been a steady increase in the
number of facility-based deliveries from about 300,000 in 2007 to about 500,000
in 2011. This brought an improvement in the previous years, where access to
health facilities highly depended on one’s ability to afford the services of
professionals in health facilities. Even though the initiative had its challenges such as the
distance and cost of transport to health facilities, perceived hostility of
maternity staff, cultural beliefs and superstition and shortage in supplies and
human resources, the general outcome brought about an improvement in the desire
for safe healthcare and delivery for pregnant
women in Ghana.
Due to these benefits derived, it is prudent for the men who
occupy positions of leadership than women in this country to know that all
inclusive participation by men in decision making including political leaders,
opinion leaders, chieftancy institutions and other decision making bodies will
go a long way to save the lives of women who die from pregnancy related
complications. Its not worth waiting till when the men start giving birth!
