Antenatal care comes under one of those categories of healthcare that has been seriously neglected by the government hospitals owing to the pandemic and the lockdown in Delhi. Asha realized the need for an urgent need of Antenatal care clinics to be conducted as soon as possible to provide aid to helpless pregnant women in slums.
We are providing the best quality Antenatal care possible to our pregnant women during this pandemic. As you may know, pregnant women are at a much greater risk to contract serious forms of Covid-19. They are also more prone to complications related to pregnancy and to preterm births. The effects of Covid-19 on newborns is not yet fully understood.
Most of Asha’s pregnant women do not want to have an institutional delivery for fear of contracting Covid-19 in the hospitals. Many hospitals where they were registered earlier, are turning them away because of having become COVID 19 hospitals.
Asha has trained many midwives over the years, and during those early days, most women would have home deliveries conducted by Asha Trained Birth Attendants. They then moved on to institutional deliveries over time. Now they are back to home deliveries and I am so glad our trained midwives in every community are available to conduct them.
We are making sure of regular check-ups, identifying high-risk cases, providing vitamin and mineral supplements, and postnatal care, including initiating early breastfeeding. There is no evidence of newborns getting infected with Coronavirus through breast milk.
We are emphasizing the use of masks, hand hygiene, and physical distancing to the maximum extent possible. They are being encouraged to stay at home throughout the duration of their pregnancy and the postpartum period. Many are anxious and depressed, and the Asha team and Warriors are providing them with mental health support.”
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