Share Email: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 Unsubscribe | Printable Version Welcome to the 21st Issue of Our Newsletter Welcome to the 21st Edition of our Mother and Child Health Newsletter. If you have any comments about this or any other issues, please feel free to contact the Project at [email protected]or contact our editor Meseret at [email protected]. If you prefer a PDF version, you can generate this by clicking on "Printable Version" at the top of the page. In this issue we include updates from the workshops, technical guidelines, and some recent publications and news. Our goal is to keep you informed on Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Care in Ethiopia, in Africa and beyond. Do you have an idea or a success story to share? Maybe you've heard of an upcoming event? Did you just find a solution you’d like to suggest to others? Send us your ideas so we can learn from each other! Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy Research has shown that pregnant women can improve their health and even reduce their risk of complications during childbirth by maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise. Results suggest that too much weight during pregnancy increases the risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, large babies, and delivery by Caesarean section. Furthermore, we know that newborns with large birth weights are at risk of childhood obesity. The study found that interventions involving low sugar diets, exercise only, or diet and exercise combined, all led to similar reductions in the number of women gaining excessive weight. Exercise interventions were mainly of moderate intensity and included various individual or group activities such as walking, aerobics, Pilates and dance. Researchers advise that pregnant women consult their health care provider before beginning a new exercise or diet program. For more information on the study, please see : New Lead on Male Contraceptive Groundbreaking reproductive research conducted by the Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health at the University of Virginia has identified key molecular events that could In this issue: • Welcome to the 21st Issue of Our Newsletter • Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy • New Lead on Male Contraceptive • Launch of New Countdown Case Study on RMNCH in Ethiopia • More Women Reel under Effects of Cervical Cancer • True Costs of Maternal Death • Midwives: Heroes when it’s a Live Birth, Villains When its Death • WHO recommends involving men in maternal & newborn health • Resources • Announcement • Invitation for YOUR Contribution Us St. Paul's MRU FMOH
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Tuesday, June 30, 2015 Unsubscribe | Printable Version
Welcome to the 21st Issue of Our Newsletter
Welcome to the 21st Edition of our Mother andChild Health Newsletter. If you have any commentsabout this or any other issues, please feel free tocontact the Project at [email protected] orcontact our editor Meseret [email protected].
If you prefer a PDF version, you can generate thisby clicking on "Printable Version" at the top of thepage.
In this issue we include updates from the workshops, technical guidelines, and some recentpublications and news. Our goal is to keep you informed on Maternal, Neonatal and Child HealthCare in Ethiopia, in Africa and beyond.
Do you have an idea or a success story to share? Maybe you've heard of an upcoming event? Did you just find a solution you’d like to suggest to others? Send us your ideas so we can learnfrom each other!
Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy
Research has shown that pregnant women canimprove their health and even reduce their risk ofcomplications during childbirth by maintaining ahealthy weight through diet and exercise. Resultssuggest that too much weight during pregnancyincreases the risk of gestational diabetes, high bloodpressure, large babies, and delivery by Caesareansection. Furthermore, we know that newborns withlarge birth weights are at risk of childhood obesity.
The study found that interventions involving lowsugar diets, exercise only, or diet and exercisecombined, all led to similar reductions in the numberof women gaining excessive weight. Exerciseinterventions were mainly of moderate intensity andincluded various individual or group activities such aswalking, aerobics, Pilates and dance. Researchersadvise that pregnant women consult their healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise ordiet program. For more information on the study,please see:
New Lead on Male Contraceptive
Groundbreaking reproductive research conducted by the Center for Research in Contraceptiveand Reproductive Health at the University of Virginia has identified key molecular events that could
In this issue:• Welcome to the 21st Issue ofOur Newsletter
• Healthy Weight Gain duringPregnancy
• New Lead on MaleContraceptive
• Launch of New CountdownCase Study on RMNCH inEthiopia
• More Women Reel underEffects of Cervical Cancer
• True Costs of Maternal Death• Midwives: Heroes when it’s aLive Birth, Villains When itsDeath
• WHO recommends involvingmen in maternal & newbornhealth
• Resources• Announcement• Invitation for YOURContribution
be playing a critical role as sperm and egg fuse tocreate new life.
"Getting at the molecular components of thefertilization event has a lot of practical applications as well as intellectual value because you want toaccount for all the major components involved in theessential events of the fertilization cascade,"explained Herr, a PhD in the Department of CellBiology. "You want to know which molecules arelocated precisely where, and when, as the spermhead becomes remodeled prior to fertilization. Justgetting all the molecules defined and dissected andlocated in their correct subcellular positions is amajor challenge, and this report adds to that fund of
knowledge."
Findings from this new study might one day lead to the creation of a male contraceptive. Moreinformation is available here:
Launch of New Countdown Case Study on RMNCH in Ethiopia
This report documents the success stories of theEthiopian government's efforts to reduce under 5mortality, identifies keys to success and outlinesremaining gaps that exist with respect to improving childhealth outcomes. The report suggests that Ethiopia hassubstantially increased access to and utilization ofessential health care services for children. Furthernutritional status of children under 5 has improvedresulting in a reduction in the number of children who arestunted. The Health Extension Programme is identifiedas a strategy that brought many essential health servicesto rural communities and it is credited with much of theobserved reductions in under five mortality. Challengesthat remain include tackling the inequality that existsbetween the health outcomes of children living in urbanand rural areas and increasing efforts to reduce thenumber of neonatal deaths as it is estimated that 41% ofall deaths under five are among neonates. More
information available in the full document here.
More Women Reel under Effects of Cervical Cancer
In Uganda, cervical cancer beats breast cancer asthe leading cause of cancer deaths in women, killingabout 2,275 women annually. “Cancer of the cervixwas traditionally a disease for older women, above40 years, but nowadays, younger women are beingdiagnosed with the disease because of early sexualdebut,” says Dr Judith Ajeani, consultant obstetricianand gynecologist. Dr. Ajeani also says that cervicalcancer is common among women who havemultiple sexual partners.
The increase in the number of deaths due tocervical cancer is observed not just in Uganda, butaround the world. According to WHO, there are anestimated 530,000 new cases of the disease each
year, leading to at least 270,000 deaths, most of them in developing countries. Of the 20 countrieswith the highest incidence worldwide, 16 are African, including Uganda. Read more here.
True Costs of Maternal Death
The sudden death of a woman from largely preventable causes during pregnancy or childbirth is aterrible injustice that comes at a very high cost. Without a mother’s care, newborns are far lesslikely to survive their first year of life and older children often have to drop out of school to help with
Quote of the Week
Speak tenderly to them. Letthere be kindness in your face,in your eyes, in your smile, inthe warmth of our greeting.Always have a cheerful smile.Don’t only give your care, butgive your heart as well. ~Mother Teresa
household responsibilities. Girls who lose theirmother are also more like to become pregnant ormarry at a younger age, leading to higher maternaland neonatal mortality.
The report found in the link below is the first of itskind and traces the linkages between maternaldeath and the resulting impacts that this has onchildren. The report quantifies these impacts andresearchers say that it will be particularly useful foradvocates, government officials and donors as it willhelp them understand the implications of inaction onmaternal death. Read more here:
Midwives: Heroes when it’s a Live Birth, Villains When its Death
Too often midwives are blamed when a motherdies. In many countries, this is leading to a decreasein the number of trained midwives as manyindividuals report becoming nurses since the level ofresponsibility is different, especially during thedelivery period. Trained midwives are very importantfor reducing maternal and newborn mortality, sowhat can we do about this? Do you think thatmidwives support each other enough in theworkplace? How can we make midwives feel moreappreciated and respected?
Read more here http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/669722midwivesheroeswhenitsalivebirthvillainswhenitsdeath.html
WHO recommends involving men in maternal & newborn health
The World Health Organization has declared theinvolvement of men in maternal and newborn healthneeds as a priority area of focus moving forward.Men are recognized as the gatekeepers anddecisionmakers mediating access to health services,thus, their involvement in health promotion efforts iscrucial. Possible methods for engaging men inmaternal and newborn health include mass mediacampaigns, home visits and increasing counselingservices. WHO is also recommending that furtherresearch is conducted in this area, particularly as itrelates to family approaches that consider therelationship dynamics of the household and theirimpact on maternal and newborn health.
Click here to learn more and to read about the other recommendations made by the WHO abouthealth promotion interventions for maternal and newborn health.
Resources
Helping Babies Breathe: Lessons learned guiding the way forward new reportBrief History of Midwives and Why Midwives are Important TodayRespectful maternal and newborn care: building a common agendaBarriers and Enablers of Kangaroo Mother Care Practice: A Systematic ReviewHow do we talk about mental illness in pregnancy?Access to emergency obstetric surgery has huge potential benefits in preventingmortality & disabilityWhy South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world?
Registration for Woman Deliver Conference 2016 NowOpen
Women Deliver’s 4th Global Conference, taking place 1619May 2016, will be the largest gathering on girls’ and women’shealth and rights in the last decade and one of the first majorglobal conferences following the launch of the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs).
Invitation for YOUR Contribution
We would like to invite all Senior Midwives Tutors to share your Dreams for overall maternal andnewborn health. We will share it in the next issue. Please submit your Dream directly to MeseretDesta Haileyesus. It's wonderful to see your Dreams from all over our Senior Midwives Tutorsunited for mothers and their babies. Keep the Dreams coming!
