TITLE:
Births at Home: About 411 Cases Collected in the Township of Hiheatro in the Southern Part of Togo
AUTHORS:
Baguilane Douaguibe, Akila Bassowa, Dede Ajavon, Bingo Kignomon M’Bortche, Tina Ayoko Ketevi, Francis Baramna-Bagou, Komi Migbegna, Abdoul Samadou Aboubakari, Koffi Akpadza
KEYWORDS:
Childbirth, Home, Complications, Togo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.11 No.10,
October
9,
2021
ABSTRACT: This
was a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted from January 2nd to march 30th 2019 in the township of Hihéatro in Togo. We included
in the study, women who had given birth at least once at home and who accepted
to undergo the survey. Data were collected, using a pre-planned and pre-tested
survey sheet, by a team of four trained interviewers under the responsibility
of a supervisor. Interviews were carried out in the homes of the respondents
after obtaining their informed consent. The parameters studied were the number
of births at home, socio-demographic characteristics, and reasons for births at
home and maternal and fetal prognosis. 411 women gave birth at home in the
township. The average number of births at home per woman was
2 with extremes of 1 and 7 births per woman.
The average age of the women was 28.4 years with the extremes of 15 and 38
years. The 25 - 34 age group represented 67.1% of cases. The average parity of
the patients was 2. Multiparas represented 59.8% of cases. The main reasons for
giving births at home by the interviewees were insufficient financial means in
36% of cases and the lack of means of transport in 28% of cases. Maternal
morbidity was marked by 14.1% perineal tear, 1.6% hysterectomy. Four
hundred and eleven newborns were registered. Of these newborns, 4.4% were stillborn and 8.8% did not cry at birth. Free
obstetric care and increased awareness on the importance of assisted deliveries
will improve the maternal-fetal prognosis.