Africa-Press – Botswana. Keitsholofetse Psycho Social Support for Pregnant Women in collaboration with Kanye District Council hosted a consultative workshop for pregnant women to deliberate on the most suitable counselling service accessibility approach. Attendees were also educated on maternal and child HIV prevention, which were said to be ideal during the perinatal period.
Speaking during the workshop in Kanye, recently, Clinical Services Director in the Ministry of Health, Dr Karabo Thokwane highlighted that emotional and social support was vital for pregnant women and new mothers to avoid maternal mental health.
“Pregnant women, new mothers and single mothers who do not have support are at risk of developing mental health disorders,” she said.
She said according to WHO, 15.6 per cent of pregnant women and 19.8 per cent of those with recent child birth in developing countries experienced mental health disorders.
“These statistics show that there is still a lot of work we have to do as developing countries to address mental health disorders,” she added. On HIV prevention, Dr Thokwane noted that Botswana had received a silver tier award, in recognition of efforts to prevent transmission of HIV from expectant mothers to unborn children.
She further said Botswana was now aiming for a gold award, hence the need for all to do their best in ensuring that the dream became a reality.
She highlighted that health affected all sectors of the economy, noting that it was important to have a healthy nation to attain a high-income status.
“We have to work together as various stakeholders to ensure that we are a healthy nation,” he said. Dr Thokwane applauded Keitsholofetse Psycho Social Support for the services that were much needed in the community, and for filling the gaps in the health care system.
Keitsholofetse Psycho Social Support Director, Ms Pontsho Kodisa said their mandate was to educate the community about maternal mental health, test women for pre and postpartum depression and offer counselling services.
She said through the event, they wanted to engage pregnant women and new mothers on the best approach to service delivery, especially after giving birth and to facilitate the development of relevant interventions.
Ms Kodisa highlighted that pregnant women and new mothers faced various challenges such as absent fathers, which eventually affected them psychologically.
For her part, Psychological Counsellor at Keitsholofetse, Ms Gaone Kenalemang said symptoms of postpartum depression included baby blues, where the mother experienced mixed reactions and easily got angry.
“Sometimes the mother would be asking herself if she will raise the baby in the right way, is the milk going to be enough and when the baby cries she might also cry,” she added.
She indicated that depression might lead to difficulty bonding with the baby, to the extent that the mother would not even want to touch the baby, noting that some could end up committing suicide or harming the baby.
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