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Respectful Maternity Care is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "care organized for and provided to all women in a manner that maintains their dignity, privacy, and confidentiality ensures freedom from harm and mistreatment, and enables informed choice and continuous support during labor and childbirth.” In the context of the pandemic, modifications in the delivery of maternity care have to be implemented following the limited face-to-face interaction of the pregnant women and the physician. To reduce COVID-19 transmissions, face-to-face appointments have switched to teleconsults, especially for women with low-risk pregnancies. In supplement to this, restrictions have been made in having a companion during labor and delivery. Continuous maternal support through having a labor companion is recommended that provides emotional support as well as practical and information support essential in aiding women in having an improved childbirth experience.
Changes in postpartum care were also implemented following the policies aiming to reduce mother-to-child transmission where COVID-19 positive mothers are temporarily separated from their newborns preventing skin-to-skin contact and restricting breastfeeding. In addition, interventions without a clear justification were likely to occur such as cesarian birth and labor induction.
Even before the pandemic, detrimental practices in prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care are already prevalent such as delay in seeking care and neglect. These practices are aggravated when the pandemic hit, women being denied of care due to discrimination, violating the right to health, and the right to respectful maternity care. Following this, in the context of the pandemic, modifications in the policies and guidelines responding to maternity care should also be dependent on human rights standards and adjustments throughout pregnancy care should be “strictly necessary, proportionate, reasonable, and the least restrictive" (Reingold, et al., 2020).
Reference: Reingold, R. B., Barbosa, I., & Mishori, R. (2020, September). Respectful maternity care in the context of COVID-19: A human rights perspective. ResearchGate | Find and share research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344317490_Respectful_maternity_care_in_the_context_of_COVID-19_A_human_rights_perspective
TY - JOURAU - Reingold, RebeccaAU - Barbosa, IsabelAU - Mishori, RanitPY - 2020/09/18SP - T1 - Respectful maternity care in the context of COVID-19: A human rights perspectiveVL - 151DO - 10.1002/ijgo.13376JO - International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and ObstetricsER -