Ok here goes...here is my blog about my visit to Mamatoto Resource and Birth Centre in Trinidad...please read and share, thank you for your support! ***Positive change for birthing mothers in Trinidad - Mamatoto Resource and Birth Centre*** Whilst visiting my husbands family in Trinidad with my 8 month old baby this Christmas season, I couldnt help but feel so lucky to have had such an amazing pregnancy and birth experience in the UK. Many of the women who I have spoken to here in Trinidad and Tobago tell me stories of having to birth their babies on their own in hospital because fathers and birth partners are routinely denied the right to be present for the birth of their babies. The thought of giving birth to my son without my husband by my side is heart breaking, and my husband has made it clear what he would tell someone who told him he couldnt be there for the birth of his own baby! Others tell me about the lack of support they received with breast feeding, with one mum even being told by staff at the maternity department not to breast feed. Those determined mothers who do manage to breast feed often end up giving up after a month or two due to the pressures many Trinidadian mums are under to return to work; mothers in Trinidad and Tobago are only entitled to 14 weeks maternity leave! Some women told me how they forked out for private maternity care but with fees of around £5000 this option is certainly not available to all, or even most. One organisation campaigning and fighting for change to this saddening picture of maternity care in Trinidad is the Mamatoto Resource and Birth Centre. The only centre of its kind in Trinidad, Mamatoto offers healthy women the chance to experience natural birth in a calming homely environment with the people she loves around her for support. Founded and run by just a few midwives and one passionate mother the centre aims to support women and families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period via check-ups, ultrasounds, childbirth classes, educational resources, use of the facilities for labour and birth, the support of a doula, a postpartum home visit and post-natal support groups. The centre has a cosy and comfortable atmosphere with each room decorated with soft nurturing images of nursing mothers and pregnant women and couples. The birthing rooms are made up like bedrooms with double beds, rocking chairs and Moses baskets along with birthing tools such as stools, balls and cushions. There are two birthing pools in the centre, one of which is large enough for fathers or birthing partners to enter as well. All in all a very different experience to those mums who are birthing alone in a busy hospital ward whilst the father waits outside. Whilst being shown around the facility prospective clients have the benefits of natural pain relief, water births and movement during labour explained to them along with things to avoid during labour such as increase in adrenaline levels. Mamatoto has a real sense of community about it with mothers getting to know all the staff throughout her pregnancy and families staying in touch for months after the babys birth, recommending other friends and family who are expecting to the centre. Each baby who is born at Mamatoto has their name painted on a leaf on the Tree of Life in the centres reception area. Many of the leaves have droplets of water on them which tell us that baby was born in the water, a few have a red house drawn on the leaf which means the babies were delivered at home by Mamatoto midwives as there wasnt enough time for them to travel to the birth centre. The midwives are honest about their relationship with local doctors and hospital staff admitting that many doctors praise Mamatotos work but some are not so supportive. The centre often finds that fathers and grandparents can also be sceptical about the concept of giving birth somewhere other than a hospital. However staff at Mamatoto continue to promote the option of alternative birth choices in order to gradually shift the cultural norms and attitudes in terms of birthing. Part of the way they are promoting this campaign is by encouraging the use of doulas in Trinidad, not only at Mamatoto but in maternity units in hospitals as well. Whilst the ultimate aim is for all fathers to be allowed to accompany their partners for the birth of their children, in the meantime the promotion of doulas at least highlights the benefits of a birthing mother having companionship and support during labour. However Debrah Lewis, founder and midwife at Mamatoto, is still campaigning strongly for a change in policy and attitude in Trinidad and Tobago to allow fathers the right to be present for the birth of their children, and mothers the right to be supported by their parter during labour. Watch Debrah Lewis talking about this issue at Port of Spain Tedx Talks - https://m.youtube/watch?v=fmAyFYjtmok The work of Mamatoto has made impressive steps towards changing attitudes around birth in Trinidad and giving women more choice in terms of their birth experience. The centre does its best to accept any women who wants to birth there regardless of their financial situation, however due to limited funding most women do have to pay to give birth at Mamatoto. Whilst the fees are much lower than private maternity care it is still unfortunate that women and families in Trinidad generally only have birthing choices if they have means to pay for them. As a trainee antenatal teacher with the Daisy Foundation in the UK and as someone who loves Trinidad and its people I am in full support of the midwives at Mamatoto and the inspiring work they do. Hopefully they are paving the way for much more positive change for mothers, babies and their families in Trinidad, and who knows maybe one day we could see a Mamatoto-Daisy Foundation collaboration! Heres to positive birthing, in the UK, in Trinidad and Tobago, and all over the world! Please support Mamatoto Resource and Birth Centre - mamatoto.net
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 11:36:55 +0000
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