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Maternal Health
Men’s social support for women during pregnancy,
labour and delivery results in positive maternal
health outcomes.(70) In Guatemala, husbands often
provide care and support during pregnancy, accompany
their wives on antenatal visits, and are generally
present or nearby during births at home; while they
may not be with their wives who deliver in hospitals,
they take care of baby-related preparations.(71) Research
in Egypt shows that involving husbands in post-abortion
care speeds their wives’ recovery and leads to greater
contraceptive use afterward.(72)
Many men who want to be involved in the health
of the women in their lives, however, are impeded by
hospital regulations, work schedules or poor communication
with their partners.
Getting male partners, extended families and
community members to give more priority to women’s
health care during pregnancy and the post-partum
period has been a successful tactic in many programmes.
For instance, the Pati Sampark project in
India gives husbands information about pregnancy
and birth, and points out specific roles that they
can fill, including providing household help
during pregnancy and making plans involving
transportation.(73)
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