Study Overview

In Bangladesh, around 1/3rd of maternal deaths take place due to postpartum haemorrhage. The majority of the PPH deaths are due to failure of early identification of the severity of the bleeding. icddr,b developed a birthing-mat, which can aid a birth attendant in early identification of postpartum haemorrhage and deciding on referral. Under WP3, an ergonomically designed Birthing Chair cum Table (BCT) will be develop in consultation with the women coming to the facility for birth, healthcare providers, professional bodies (OGSB), National Maternal Health programme (DGHS &DGFP) and biomedical engineers. The chair cum table will allow the mother to take a position according to her choice during vaginal birth. Allowing mother for taking different positions during delivery will prevent complications like obstructed labour during delivery and improve the experience and quality of care. For early identification of PPH as an innovation, we will integrate the icddr,b birthing mat utilization provision in the birthing platform. The mat is placed under a woman immediately after the delivery of a baby. This mat-soaked blood that is coming out from the mother, giving a visual depiction of the amount of blood lost during delivery and can retain 448±58 ml of blood when fully soaked, signalling the woman is haemorrhaging and requires immediate referral for medical treatment. Integrating the icddr,b birthing mat with the BCT will help in the early identification and prevention of complication during vaginal birth such as PPH and obstructed labour.