An analysis of births outside health facilities in Maseru Health Service Area Lesotho

English: According to the Ministry of Health/Social Welfare, 95% of all pregnant women attend ante-natal care at the health facility provided by skilled providers (MOH/SW, 2003:17). However, less than 50% of those pregnant women give birth at the health facility. The aim of the study was to describe births outside a health facility as a phenomenon. The objectives were to identify the place of birth outside a health facility, identify who the helper/attendant was during the birth, identify the reasons why the women gave birth at home, explore the mothers experiences regarding the birth, the outcomes of the health process, and describe cultural practices adhered to during birth. A non-experimental descriptive and exploratory design with a survey as a method was used. A semi-structured interview with an interview schedule with closed ended and open ended questions were used to gather data. A purpose sampling method was used to select 8 health facilities in the Maseru Health Service Area as well as 344 respondents for the study. Ethical principles relevant to conduct research involving human subjects was adhered to, such as obtaining the necessary permission to enter the field and complying with the human rights of the respondents. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from respondents of all ages, living in town, peri-urban and rural settings of Maseru Health Service Area. The methodology of the study was simply but thoroughly explained. The results of the study showed that women gave birth at home, assisted by their mother or family members. The reasons why they gave birth at home were either intentional (e.g. wanted to be amongst family members) or unintentional (e.g. baby came too fast). The mothers experience regarding the birth was generally good and the outcomes of the birth process were positive because there were no negative consequences for mother and baby. Mothers gave birth at home with the help of a family member or TBA who sometimes is the only help available in the community and that is why one of the recommendations is to train the community members (e.g. traditional birth attendant) to support safe motherhood as well as the mothers right to choose her own place of birth.