Save Story: Neema's Baby
Neema Timotheo Andrea, a 22 year old first time mother from the Geita region of Tanzania, was very excited about the arrival of her child. She prepared for the birth, buying all she needed and packing her bags for the hospital well ahead of time.
After experiencing labor pains, Neema arrived at Geita Regional Referral Hospital with her husband for the birth of their first baby.
Hussein, the professional in charge of Neema’s labor team, explains: "When she arrived, we admitted Neema and examined her. She was dilated about six centimetres, so we used devices like MOYO to monitor the baby's heart rate.”
After a long labor, Neema’s daughter was born but there were complications. The baby wasn't breathing.
Thanks to the frequent, hands-on scenario based training received as part of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program, her midwife team knew what to do. They quickly began resuscitation.
"During delivery, the baby experienced a delay in crying, so we used the Neobeat and Upright Bag Mask to resuscitate the baby," Hussein recounts.
After some moments, Neema's daughter let out a cry, taking her first breaths.
Neema's baby survived.
I felt complete peace, great joy, comfort, and I was very happy.
Safer Births Bundle of Care program, Tanzania
The life-saving program, which has now been scaled to over 150 health facilities across Tanzania, equips healthcare personnel to be confident and competent when managing the most common causes of maternal and neonatal mortality – including newborn birth asphyxia.
With a focus on low-dose, high-frequency simulation training, quality improvement and continued mentorship, Safer Births Bundle of Care is already showing promising preliminary results in its ability to dramatically reduce preventable deaths of mothers and newborns.
Learn more about Safer Births Bundle of Care, here.