TRAININGS ON PRE-DELIVERY AND POST-DELIVERY CARE ORGANIZED IN 10 ARMENIAN PROVINCES

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: The US International Development Agency (USAID) in cooperation with the Academy for Educational Development (AED) conducted up to 30 series of two-hour training sessions for 20 healthcare facilities, maternity hospitals and women’s consultations throughout 10 Armenian regions.

The program was designed for up to one hundred healthcare providers (OB/GYNs, Neonatologists, and pediatricians) from 25 regional healthcare facilities who have been trained during the second phase of the program. In this phase of the program the regional physicians provided individual and group training sessions for up to 300 pregnant women, couples and their family members, during which they were provided with on-site support.

The objective of the program was to provide on-site support and monitoring for regional OB/GYNs, neonatologists, and pediatricians that participated in the second phase of the program for implementing prenatal and infant care classes (physical and psycho-social preparation for healthy childbearing and parenthood) for pregnant women, couples and their family members. Anush Yedigarian, the director of the Academy for Educational Development Armenian Office, said in the first round of the program doctor Beverly Chalmers from Toronto’s University (Canada) , trained 22 doctors – gynecologists, pediatricians, neonatologists. In the next round the specialists who had passed the training shared their knowledge with 325 doctors from 10 Armenian provinces presenting information about emotional and physiological changes during pregnancy, feeding, physical exercises, delivery and post-delivery period, breast feeding and care of new-born.

The results of the post-program monitoring showed that the group meetings are not yet effectively implemented in the provinces. All the specialists who participated in the training highly assess the importance of the classes and note that the knowledge they have received will be very necessary for them in their practice. According to the leading specialist from the Mother and Child’s Health Protection Department at the Armenian Health Ministry Gayane Avagian, the trainings have made the work more effective. The group meetings give a doctor an opportunity not only to get acquainted with the pregnant woman but also with the members of her family. The doctor who is supervising the pregnancy can have an idea in what social and psychological conditions the woman lives. The knowledge achieved during the group meetings will help future mothers to plan their pregnancy in a right way avoiding any hazards and harmful habits.

During the group meetings gynecologists teach women to do physical exercises during the pregnancy and post-pregnancy, how to take care of skin, nails and hair. Women who are attending the group meetings already know about the existing dangers and in case of the first signs will turn to a doctor.

According to G. Avagian, the program is very useful in respect of giving the pregnant women necessary knowledge as not all pregnant women have enough knowledge for organizing the post-pregnancy period in a right way. She said the meetings showed that the women who have opportunity to use Internet are aware about pre-delivery and new born care. The majority of women do not have enough knowledge about all this.

On the initiative of the Academy for Educational Development the trainings on “Preparation for Pregnancy”, “Emotional and Physiological Changes during Pregnancy”, “Feeding and Physical Exercises during Pregnancy”, “Delivery and Post-delivery Period”, “Breast Feeding and Care of New Born Child” themes were shot and shown on Public TV during the “Health” TV program. It is also expected to record them and distribute in the provinces. Within the frameworks of the program the pregnant women were given booklets.