Nuristan, Afghanistan –  Arifa has always thought that giving birth at home in the hands of a traditional birth attendant is the only option for pregnant women due to the lack of health facilities within their community.

However, Arifa’s pleasant experience of receiving care during her fifth pregnancy and delivering at the Family Health House (FHH) a month ago has changed her perspective.

Arifa, 36, had given birth to her first four children at home in the hands of an elderly traditional birth attendant who lacked the training on safe deliveries and managing childbirth complications. While Arifa's family did not experience serious complications and deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, there were women from the community who either died or lost their newborns due to the lack of skilled maternal and newborn health care.

Reflecting on her recent experience giving birth to her youngest child at the FHH, Arifa said it was markedly different – from the midwife’s skilled care to the facilities for safe delivery in a hygienic environment. 

Arifa said she learned about the FHH in her community just before her fifth pregnancy. The FHH is one of the health facilities supported by UNFPA in partnership with the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Immediately, she knew that the availability of reproductive health services would make a positive impact on the health of women in her community.

“So when I got pregnant, I went to see the midwife at the FHH to provide expert advice on maternal care,” Arifa shared. As her pregnancy advanced, she felt assured that she would have a much better experience of delivering her baby compared to her previous childbirths.

As her due date approached, Arifa was already equipped with essential information, thanks to her regular visits to the midwife. She vigilantly watched out for the signs of labour that the midwife told her about. In the evening, when she gave birth, she immediately asked her husband and mother-in-law to take her to the FHH when she started experiencing intense abdominal pain, a sign of the onset of labour.

It was a stormy night but Arifa, accompanied by her husband and mother-in-law, safely made it to the FHH. They were warmly greeted by the midwife who, upon assessing Arifa’s condition, learned that she was in the final stage of labour, so she proceeded with the delivery.

The midwife stabilized her condition and delivered the baby without any complications.

"The delivery went smoothly without complications,” Arifa narrated. ”After the delivery, the midwife made sure my condition was stable before sending me home the next day.”  The midwife also prescribed medicines for Arifa's anaemia and minor abdomen pain.

"Compared to my previous home deliveries, this time I was able to recover quickly and regain my strength," Arifa said as she expressed for the professional and cost-free support provided by the FHH.