Tema-Ghana, Jan. 16, MNN – Ms. Ruth Sally Kodam, a Senior Midwifery Officer at the Tema General Hospital has advised women to immediately start antenatal clinics the moment they confirm through testing that they are pregnant.
Ms. Kodam explained that first-time expectant mothers must start antenatal early to help in risk identification which could be resolved early for a better pregnancy outcome.
She stressed: “Don’t just stay at home till after three months before you start attending antenatal, that can be dangerous to you and the baby.
“For most women, the first sign of pregnancy was a missed period, therefore, it is paramount that after missing one’s period you must immediately visit the hospital for confirmation or otherwise”.
Ms. Kodam noted that sometimes too after confirmation, there was the need for the expectant mother to undertake a scan usually between the seventh and eighth weeks of gestation to ascertain whether it was not an ectopic pregnancy.
She further said that an expectant mother goes through various tests immediately after she starts the antenatal visit; the tests include HIV, Sickle cell, hemoglobin level, and blood type, among others.
She said that based on the result of the various tests and examinations, the health officials would know what treatment or individualized care to give each pregnant woman as all pregnancies were unique.
Ms. Kodam who is popularly known as Midwife Sally on social media platforms for her activities towards the reduction of maternal mortality, said issues such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure in pregnancy) do not give symptoms and midwives have sometimes received emergencies of pregnant women collapsing due to it.
She also advised pregnant women to learn about their pregnancies and the changes that would occur over the weeks, among others by attending pregnancy schools at their various antenatal clinics and pregnancy groups to minimize risks in the gestation period.
Ms. Kodam stressed that expectant mothers must listen to the directions of their midwives and obstetricians adding that they could even seek a second opinion from other health officials instead of relying on the experiences of others.
“Don’t just rely on other people’s experience some may have many children but may not have the expertise to advise you on what you are going through, get a professional direction, and don’t mix the supposed advised people give you with your health professional owns,” she said.
“Pay attention to your hygiene, get enough rest and sleep, and take your medications as prescribed by the health professional, especially at the antenatal clinic,” Ms. Kodam stated.
Midwife Sally urged partners to give the necessary support to their pregnant women through finances, encouraging them to take their medications and attend antenatal with them.
She said some hospitals now have daddy clinics where the men were expected to accompany their wives to the hospital once a month to learn about their pregnancies and how best to help their wives.
Ms. Kodam appealed to hospitals and clinics to organize daddy clinics to consider instituting it as a way of getting the men involved to reduce maternal mortality in Ghana.
