ASMA, YOUNG MOTHER IN BANGLADESH

During COVID-19 it was a really very difficult time as I could not go outside of my house as I was pregnant and I had another child to take care of.

Asma* is a 23-year-old mother who lives in the region of Brāhmanbāria, Bangladesh. Like many women living in remote areas, Asma lives far from health centres and has very little information on pregnancy-related risks and even less information about protective measures against COVID-19.

In Bangladesh, each year, thousands of children lose their mothers. 176 women out of 100,000 die from complications relating to pregnancy or childbirth, 35 times more than in Switzerland.** Not to mention the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Therefore, health workers trained by Enfants du Monde and its local partner organise maternal and newborn health education sessions in remote areas. They provide crucial information on how to spot danger signs during pregnancy such as pain or bleeding ; they describe the main symptoms of COVID-19 and the barrier measures to be put in place to protect pregnant women, young mothers and newborns from the virus.

My mother-in-law advised me to attend health awareness sessions for pregnant women. I learned about the importance of attending antenatal care visits in the Community Clinics and was advised to avoid giving birth at home, as it may be risky in case of complications during delivery.