Background
Although political efforts are being made to reduce maternal and child mortality in Kyrgizstan, there is also a need to empower the population with knowledge to ensure the health of mothers and newborns. Although there are health services in place for pregnant women, the service providers don’t always have time to give detailed information about changes during pregnancy, nutrition, exercise, warning signs, breastfeeding, family planning and so on. Many of these services also target women and fail to inform couples about how the other partner can support her during and after the pregnancy.

About the project
This project was created to establish education classes for parents and increase men’s involvement during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care at Kyrgyz National Maternal and Child Health Center in Bishkek. The project team developed a training programme, established a venue for the education classes and ran a big information campaign to invite couples to attend the sessions. The couples who signed up could then participate in three classes per trimester and attend an additional hospital tour before delivery.

Results
By the end of the project, 30 couples had attended the parent education classes. The participants reported that these sessions gave them confidence in preparation for childbirth and helped both parents understand what to expect during labour and after the baby is born. They also gained knowledge on breastfeeding and newborn care, which can help them ensure the health of their child going forward. The project team’s evaluations also showed that the men who participated in the parent education sessions had significantly higher level of knowledge than the men who didn’t attend the classes.

Year: 2008