In this month of January, the White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) is featuring courteous maternity care by promoting Universal rights of expectant women.

The motive is to raise awareness of women’s rights to civil care during pregnancy and childbirth.

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) is a nonpartisan, non-profit and non-governmental membership organization that aims at decreasing both maternal and newborn deaths globally.

Giving birth is one of the most amazing things women can experience  but unfortunately, some women seeking maternity care are treated in a disrespectful manner and face injustices such as physical assault, verbal insults, discrimination, abandonment, or detention at the facilities for failure of payment of medical bills.

Dr Alphose Butoyi, a Gynecologist with Kibagabaga Hospital, in an interview with The New Times, says that ill treatment towards expectant mothers yields distrust.

"It’s important to be gentle with an expectant mother. Using a friendly tone and giving them all the attention they need is one way to go about it.  They will definitely have confidence in you,” Butoyi said.

He further adds that pregnant women will only trust you if you give them all the care they need.

"With extreme attention and care granted, the expectant mother will take in the advice you give them and believe in whatever you say.  In case of a complicated situation, the relationship built with each other comes in handy when asking them to comply with what is at hand,” says Butoyi.

He strongly advises both midwives and gynecologists to be gentle with expectant mothers because they are so sensitive and ill treatment can drive them away.

"In this profession we have to naturally be down to earth because these expectant mothers are going through hormonal and psychological changes and any slight mistreatment could affect them and the baby,” Butoyi advises.

Janet Uwamaria, a mother of two appreciates the way she was treated after being transferred to Kibagaba Hospital from Kagugu Health Center.

"It was amazing the way the midwife (Immaculate Kantengwa) explained to me how the cesarean section would be done. Although I had gone for antenatal checkups at my home area’s health center, I didn’t expect the kind of friendly treatment I was offered here,” Uwamaria says.

The 25-year-old mother had spent three days at the hospital prior to the cesarean section and her baby‘s condition had stabilized as well.

"The baby was so tired after birth that she could not even breastfeed. I had to continuously tap her so she could wake up and suckle. But now she is a lot more active,” Uwamaria says.

Immaculate Kantengwa, the midwife who attended to Uwamaria, explains the importance essence of treating mothers during childbirth respectfully.

"When you’re friendly to them, they respect whatever you tell them to do. For instance during labor, she will do what you tell because she has confidence in you,” Kantengwa said.

She adds that in case of a stillbirth, the midwife has to find a way to talk to a mother without adding more pain to her distress.

 "To make a mother understand that you feel her pain in a friendly way proves that you did your best in trying to save the baby. It’s advisable to approach all matters with a calm and low tone,” she emphasizes.

She says that watching a happy mother carry her healthy baby in her arms is amazing.

"Most mothers bring their children to me months later and show me how much they have grown. This gesture is built through the relationship created based on the way I treated them and it keeps me going,” says Kantengwa.

Kibagaba Hospital has become a referral hospital for several Health Centers that transfer complicated cases of expectant mothers.

Josephine Bazubagira, a resident of Rutonde Village, Shyorongi in Rulindo District, Northern Province, said she had contractions for three days before she was transferred to Kibagabaga Hospital.

"I was transferred for a cesarean section but when I reached the hospital, they were still organizing the material used for the operation. Then suddenly I got contractions and gave birth naturally,” Bazubagira narrates.

Besides the friendly treatment she got, she also acknowledges the importance of Mutuelle de Sante, the Public Health Insurance that Rwandans use.

"Thanks to Mutuell de santé, I’m going to pay probably Rwf3,000. I advise everyone to embrace the community health insurance especially if you’re a low income earner,” she says.

Mutuelle de Sante is a government initiated community health insurance policy put in place to facilitate Rwandans in accessing health services at cheaper costs.

Doreen.umutesi@newtimes .co.rw