A trained health worker, a successful birth!

Chang Le Hu, 33, is an ethnic Ha Nhi health worker in Ta Phu village on Vietnam’s remote northern border with China. Recently, he told CWS staff about his amazing first experience of delivering a baby:

“I still remember the 30-year-old pregnant woman, Ly Phi Pu, and the fact that it was her first delivery. Earlier, despite of my advice, Pu did not go for antenatal care at the commune clinic and so, with no experience and limited knowledge about her own re-productive health, Pu could not estimate her due date. Then, one day, after going to the field, she felt labor pains and showed all the signs being about to give birth. When Pu’s husband saw his wife in prolonged labor, he was very nervous and ran to ask for my help because no female family members were home to follow the Ha Nhi tradition of having a midwife or birth attendant from the immediate family. Normally, a Ha Nhi family would never ask help from an outsider. But, Pu’s husband knew there was a problem. When I came to the house, I realized immediately that Pu should have gone to clinic; but there was no time: the baby’s head was already visible.”

With knowledge from the CWS info-sharing and education/training sessions for health workers, Hu worked skillfully to turn the baby and, finally, the baby was successfully born – the the family’s great joy.

Since this amazing birth, Hu is always asked for a help whenever there is a baby to be delivered.

Now Pu’s family has moved to a different village; but, whenever they meet, they always thank Hu who, of course, feels very happy because of the success of his first delivery. He says, “I think the first thanks belong to CWS, whose team helped enrich my knowledge and skills as a health worker – especially how to mobilize pregnant women to come for antenatal exams at clinic and to correctly anticipate their delivery date and avoid risks. Now, with knowledge I gained from the training course, I can do my work even better to help people in our village.”