UNIVERSITY OF

ALBERTA

OFFICE OF

GLOBAL HEALTH

DIVISION OF

COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

FACULTY OF

MEDICINE &

DENTISTRY

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11405-87 AVENUE

EDMONTON, AB

T6G 1C9

AND

ST PAUL’S HOSPITAL

MILLENNIUM

MEDICAL COLLEGE

ADDIS ABABA

September1,2014 Volume 1, Issue 3

Ye-Enat & Lij Tena

Mother and Child Health

Newsletter

Inside This Issue

Smoking during pregnancy

may affect grandchildren

2

Link between prenatal anti-

depressant exposure and

autisim

2

Mobile Midwifery Delivers

Health to Ghanaian Moms

2

Growth of newborn babies'

brains tracked

3

The 5 things we can do to

save newborns

3

Low birth weight linked to

higher incidence of diabetes

3

What strategies are cost-

effective in improving health

care for women and their

newborns?

4

How the lives of mothers

can be saved by stepping up

4

Why a UNFPA team

member traveled to Ethio-

pia to get birth ontrol

4

New resources and links 5

August 18th, marked the 500-day count-

down to the target deadline to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),

eight goals established by the United Nations

and governments around the world to tackle

some of the world’s biggest problems.

Ethiopia reduced its under-five mortality by

two thirds between 1990 and 2012- the re-

quired reduction for meeting the target

of Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG

4) on child survival, success achieved

through 38,000 Health Extension Workers

and community volunteers reaching mothers

and children at their homes. Read more and

watch a video about Ethiopia’s progress:

http://www.healthynewbornnetwork.org/

press-release/500-days-left-millennium-

development-goals-deadline

Welcome to the 3rd issue of our newsletter

Less than 500 Days Left to Millennium Development Goals Deadline

In this issue we include updates and some

recent publications and news. Our goal is to

keep you informed on Maternal, Neonatal,

and Child Health Care in Ethiopia, in Africa

and beyond.

Enjoy reading!

Smoking during pregnancy may affect grandchildren's growth

Link between prenatal antidepressant exposure Autism

Previous studies that suggested an increased risk of

autism among children of women who took antide-

pressants during pregnancy may actually reflect the

known increased risk associated with severe maternal

depression. Now researchers have called that into

question with further studies and complex answers.

To read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/

releases/2014/08/140826100853.htm

Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 3

Mobile midwifery delivers health to Ghanaian moms

Mobile technology can really improve knowledge

and health education for health workers and preg-

nant women. The Mobile Midwife program, pro-

vides two mobile phone apps: one app delivers

text messages or voicemails to pregnant women

and new mothers, reminding them about upcom-

ing appointments, and information on symptoms

and self-care tips on nutrition and hygiene. The

other app, allows nurses to upload patient records

into a centralized database to track client care.

Many illiterate mothers appreciate the program

because they have no access to calendars or com-

puters, and voicemails translated into their lan-

guage, keep them informed. Read more: http://

womensenews.org/story/reproductive-health/140814/mobile-

midwifery-delivers-health-ghanaian-moms#.U_-Cd8U7tcb

More articles….

If you want to read more articles, you can access them from our MNCH Dropbox. The articles cover a wide range of MNCH topics from a variety of sources.

For more information on how to access the approximately 200 articles in Dropbox, email us at: ETMNCH@ualberta.ca

Smoking during pregnancy has discernible effects

on the growth of a woman's future grandkids, a

new study shows. The "likely trans-generational

effects from the grandmothers' smoking in preg-

nancy need to be taken into account in future

studies of the effects of maternal smoking on child

growth and development. If replicated, such stud-

ies could be a useful model for the molecular anal-

ysis of human trans-generational responses," said

the senior author. Read more: http://www.science daily.com/releases/2014/08/140818113221.htm?

utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign

=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%

28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%

29&utm_content=FaceBook

Growth of newborn babies' brains tracked

Low birth weight linked to higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes in African American women

The WHO estimates that one million babies die

each year from birth asphyxia (the inability to

breathe immediately after delivery) and the first 24

hours are critical to a baby’s survival. It is really

five simple life saving steps to saving babies lives at

birth.

1.Wrap the baby up.

2. Give the baby air.

3.Clean the cord.

4. Breast feed.

5. Hold the baby close.

To learn more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caryl-m-

stern/save-newborns_b_5636152.html?

ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000054

Page 3 Ye-Enat & Lij Tena

The 5 things we can do to save newborns

The BBC reported on a study recently that showed

that the speed of growth in a baby’s brain was great-

est just after birth. This research reminds us of the

importance of breastfeeding as the best nutrition for

babies from immediately after birth. Exclusive breast-

feeding for 6 months is the best food for brain devel-

opment and allows babies to reach their highest po-

tential (IQ) as adults. So remember that baby's rapid

brain growth in the first few months needs the best

food nature has to offer breast milk. Read the full

article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/

behindtheheadlines/news/2014-08-12-growth-of-newborn-babies

-brains-tracked/

African American women born at a low or very low

birth weight may be at a higher risk for developing type 2

diabetes. The study results indicate that women with low

birth weight had a 13 percent higher chance of develop-

ing type 2 diabetes than those with normal birth weight,

and those with very low birth weight had a 40 percent

higher chance of developing the disease. Body size did

not appear to play a role as there was a clear association

between birth weight and diabetes even for women who

were not obese. To read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140822084051.htm?

utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%

3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_health+%28ScienceDaily%

3A+Top+Health+News%29

What strategies are cost-effective in improving health care for women and their newborns?

How the lives of mothers can be saved by stepping up MDG momentum

Page 4 Volume 1, Issue 3

Why One UNFPA team member traveled to Ethiopia to get her Birth Control

Mothers in developing regions are fifteen times

more likely to die during childbirth than their

developed region counterparts. Since the start of

the MDGs movement, the rural-urban gap in

skilled care during pregnancy has narrowed, but

there are still 50 million babies being delivered

worldwide without skilled care. Find out how the

lives of mothers can be saved by stepping up

MDG momentum. Click here to read more: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/maternal.shtml

A UNFPA mission media mission team member was

surprised to find out that contraceptives are provided

free of charge for women who need the services in

Ethiopia. She took advantage of this and shares her ex-

perience. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies is key to

improving the life and potential of young women. By

receiving effective family planning counseling and having

access to quality contraceptives, young people are better

suited to fully participate in the development of their

communities. Read the full story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-erakit/

why-i-traveled-to-ethiopi_b_5652801.html

There is considerable diversity in the strategies used to

improve MNCH care. However, it is possible to identify

some common themes among the strategies, and these

are presented in relation to the continuum of care and

the level of the health system. This research summariz-

es the cost-effectiveness literature available and high-

lights the extent to which the evidence focuses on com-

munity-based strategies and care for MNCH interven-

tion. To read click here: http://

www.healthynewbornnetwork.org/sites/default/files/

resources/

Do you want to be a mem-

ber of Ethiopian Midwives

Association? Contact:

ethiopianmidwivesassocia-

tion@gmail.com

Delayed clamping of the umbilical cord to reduce infant anaemia This important resource

describes the benefits of delayed clamping, such the reduction of anamia in children, so that

delayed cord clamping can be enthusiastically supported and promoted as a best practice by

maternal health, newborn health professionals. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/120074/1/

WHO_RHR_14.19_eng.pdf?ua=1&ua=1

WHO Recommendations for Augmentation of Labour The goal of this guideline is to

consolidate the guidance for effective interventions that are needed to reduce the global burden

of prolonged labour and its consequences. Guidelines can be found here: http://apps.who.int/iris/

bitstream/10665/112825/1/9789241507363_eng.pdf?ua=1

Active management of the third stage of labour These recommendations clarify the most

important components of Active Management of the Third Stage of Labour (AMTSL) and suggest

that there should be an expanded emphasis on ensuring that every woman, regardless of where

she delivers, is offered a high-quality uterotonic at the time of birth. http://apps.who.int/iris/

bitstream/10665/119831/1/WHO_RHR_14.18_eng.pdf?ua=1&ua=1

www. midwivesonline.com website has over 700 questions that women (and in many

cases, men) frequently ask when they are thinking about starting a family, or are already

on the pregnancy journey. There is a special section on the site just for Midwives. Click

here to create your account. Do you have an idea or a success story to share? Maybe you’ve heard of an event that

we should all support. Did you just find a solution you’d like to suggest to others? Please send us your news, events and postings for future editions. There are so many

interesting experiences to share and opportunities to learn in our newsletter.

“Uplifting the Whole People” — University of Alberta

Important resources

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

About this Newsletter

MNCH Bi-weekly Editor: Dr. David Zakus, Director

Production Manager: Meseret Desta Haileyesus

Production Assistant: Janet Summerhayes

This Newsletter is produced in collaboration with

University of Alberta Global Health Office –DFATD-MNCH Ethiopia Project, a project under-

taken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department

of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

Senior Midwife Tutor Story Corner—Tell us what's in

yours!

Important link