Prenatal Program

Some of you have been asking for more details about what we do at Heartline Maternity Center. This will be a series of posts in which I introduce you to the different programs we have. Grab a cup of coffee and some chocolate (our favorites) and enjoy!


The World Health Organization reports that the maternal mortality ratio is 350 for every 100,000 live births in Haiti. The maternal mortality rate here is sixteen times higher than the United States and twenty-nine times higher than Canada. Only twenty-six percent of births in Haiti are attended by a skilled health professional.  Our desire at Heartline is to be a safe place where women can receive loving and respectful care and education through the midwifery model of care.

Ultrasound with Heartline staff

We have 40-45 pregnant women who come to the MC each Thursday for prenatal program. Most months we do 5-7 births.  There’s a much greater demand for maternal and infant health care here than 5-7 births a month, however, we feel that keeping our numbers small allows us to give quality, personalized, and respectful care to the ladies we serve. The morning starts with vitals for every woman.  Once vitals are done, everyone gets a high protein meal of eggs, fish, and rice.  For many of them this will be the most protein they will eat all week.  Nutrition often ends up being an issue for the mothers we care for.  Their pregnant bodies are expanding blood volume, growing tissue, cells, and a life inside of them and their need for protein is largely increased.  In a country where diets consist mostly of stomach filling carbohydrates and starches, this can present problems in pregnancy and birth.  Blood pressures go up, kidneys are compromised, fluid is retained and we begin to battle one of the top five killers of women in the third world...preeclampsia. 

After a protein packed meal has been cooked and served by some of our staff, all the ladies gather in one room to sing, pray, and have class. Classes are usually taught by staff midwives or nurses and consist of education on nutrition, the birth process, STIs, family planning, breastfeeding and many other subjects.  Education is a significant part of what we do at Heartline MC. In a culture where Catholicism, Christianity, and Voodoo are a melting pot of beliefs in the day to day life of many Haitians, we often see practices that are harmful to mothers and babies.  In providing education and truth to women about their bodies and their babies, we hope we will help them succeed in making safe choices for their health as well as the health of their babies.  After class, our ladies receive full prenatal check-ups by either a midwife or nurse.

Prenatals

Labor support

Labor support

When the time comes, the ladies who have been in the prenatal program throughout their pregnancy usually deliver here at the MC (Maternity Center).  We love being able to support and care for them during labor, delivery, and postpartum.  Once they give birth, we encourage new mothers to stay in our postpartum area for several days.  During this time we focus on their recovery and successful breastfeeding.  Only forty-one percent of mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies in Haiti.  In a place where formula is expensive and water is often contaminated, the choice not to breastfeed can be the difference between life and death for babies. 
When postpartum recovery is well on its way and breastfeeding is established we take our new mommas home.  For the first six months after birth, we follow up with them weekly through our child development program. We love being able to build relationships with our ladies as we walk alongside them through pregnancy, birth, and the first several months postpartum!   

Learning to breastfeed

Taking a new momma home