What is essential?

Simple but essential facilities such as clean water to drink and wash with, a decent toilet and being able to shower after birth aren’t always guaranteed for women having babies around the world. Every two seconds a woman gives birth in a health centre without clean water (nor decent toilets, nor good hygiene). One in four healthcare centres around the world have no clean water on site. And almost half of healthcare centres have no basic handwashing facilities. This puts staff and patients at a greater risk of sickness and infection.

Dr Amalina Bakri, a doctor and surgeon and clinical research fellow at Imperial College London, said during the discussion on BOTB: “I can’t imagine how I would be able to work without clean water; we have to clean our hands before we see patients, clean instruments as well. If you have a C-section and don’t have clean instruments to do all the cutting and everything… it is going to cause cross-contamination and infections.

“I can’t imagine not having clean water at work and I feel very lucky being able to do that here in the NHS.”

Shakira Akabusi, a mum of four, women’s fitness trainer and founder of Strong Like Mum, added: “I think a lot about that initial postpartum period. Going to the toilet, I was going to the loo and changing a pad, with the heavy bleeding which you can have after delivery. I’d be changing that, washing my hands and then going to pick up my baby. The thought of having a fear of picking up my baby for a fear of spreading infection, that really resonates with me.”

Baby On The Brain podcast: the essentials every new mother should have