MamiCare: Help at home for new mothers

Today as I sat down for a coffee to discuss a project I am working on, I noticed a beautiful mother come in and sit down next to me with her baby sleeping in the stroller.  We smiled at each other and I continued on with my work.  When I got up to leave, this mother motioned me over and said that she recognized me from one of our prenatal seminars last year.  I asked her about her birth experience, and she described how she had to fight to have as little intervention as possible, so it was hard. She is convinced that she wants a home birth next time around, even though that is heavliy frowned upon here. Then, she had a hard time accessing home care at the end of the year just when she really needed it.

Advocacy

Our conversation underscored the need to continue to advocate for large-scale change both at the hospital level in patient care, but also at the community health care level of getting home visits to new moms.

So, while we have been building the work of MamiCare through prenatal classses, home visits, lactation consulting, and breast pumps for rent, I have also for the last year also been asking questions at various levels of state and private health care as to how to better fill the gaps in care provided in general. 

Home visiting in urban areas, in particular, which should be provided by the state, is not working.  The handoff from the hospital to primary care is very poor, and staff are stretched. I will be continuing to have high level conversations on how to identify and fill gaps in provision and access.  We want all mothers, regardless of their ability to pay, to be able to get the support they need immediately after birth and in the weeks following. Because of this, for the last couple of months, we have also been actively recruiting a stronger team of midwives for MamiCare who can cover the Tirana metro area. 

Our Services

• Our new midwife Eralda, with her gentle voice and careful treatment, has helped many a mother get thier baby back to breast, or show how to bathe a newborn with confidence.  She has also been a confident and interesting trainer in our prenatal seminars. 
• Online consults have continued primarily through our Lacation Consultant Gail who has helped some mothers with excellent care plans and follow up visits.
• Our monthly prenatal seminars have been well-attended and we have been able to follow up with home visits for most of the parents who access this service.
• Our online education presence is consistent and we send messages about mental, emotional, and physical health to mothers who come to us. 
• We have 10-18 pumps rented out at all times, meeting a need for an affordable option for moms who need a quality pump.

Thank you so much for your support that makes it possible for MamiCare to stay on advocating for better care for mothers and babies here in Tirana, Albania, and around the country.  We couldn't be here doing this without you!

Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful week ahead. 

Lizzy

Links:

• MamiCare Instagram