Introduction of Issue
In most low-income countries women deliver their children at home, without the presence of a skilled birth attendant. Many mothers and children die as a result of hemorrhaging, infection or complications that need the attention of a medical professional. Women in many areas of Peru live in such remote region that access to skilled attendants can be difficult, UNICEF reported that only 20 percent of rural deliveries have a skilled attendant present, while urban areas have a rate of 69 percent. (2009, p. 1) Due to the lack of medical interventions, maternal mortality rates are six times as high in Ayachuco, a rural region, than in the capital city of Lima. (Skolnik, 2016, p.159) This enormous deficit has become a major focus of health …show more content…
Childbirth is a sacred and intimate experience, not just for the mother but for the whole family unit. Most women deliver their babies in a squatting position while their husbands support them by holding them up by the arms. It is traditional for women to give birth without the aid of western medicine, instead they drink a tea a made from a native herb known as piri piri to prepare for labour. (UNICEF, 2009, p. 1) This method of childbirth was successful for many, but extremely detrimental to families when a child and especially mother would die in the process. Many of these deaths could have been prevented by skilled birth attendants and physicians however, due to poverty and low educational levels these resources were not always accessed. When women did have the means to access these resources, they were often turned off by the experience and would not return for their next birth. Health providers had left a negative impression on the indigenous women of rural Peru. The westernized experience of childbirth they presented and insisted upon, was and is very far off from their traditional
In most low-income countries women deliver their children at home, without the presence of a skilled birth attendant. Many mothers and children die as a result of hemorrhaging, infection or complications that need the attention of a medical professional. Women in many areas of Peru live in such remote region that access to skilled attendants can be difficult, UNICEF reported that only 20 percent of rural deliveries have a skilled attendant present, while urban areas have a rate of 69 percent. (2009, p. 1) Due to the lack of medical interventions, maternal mortality rates are six times as high in Ayachuco, a rural region, than in the capital city of Lima. (Skolnik, 2016, p.159) This enormous deficit has become a major focus of health …show more content…
Childbirth is a sacred and intimate experience, not just for the mother but for the whole family unit. Most women deliver their babies in a squatting position while their husbands support them by holding them up by the arms. It is traditional for women to give birth without the aid of western medicine, instead they drink a tea a made from a native herb known as piri piri to prepare for labour. (UNICEF, 2009, p. 1) This method of childbirth was successful for many, but extremely detrimental to families when a child and especially mother would die in the process. Many of these deaths could have been prevented by skilled birth attendants and physicians however, due to poverty and low educational levels these resources were not always accessed. When women did have the means to access these resources, they were often turned off by the experience and would not return for their next birth. Health providers had left a negative impression on the indigenous women of rural Peru. The westernized experience of childbirth they presented and insisted upon, was and is very far off from their traditional