WaterAid

Takako Ishikawa (Japan)

Packed:

“-Clothes for the newborn baby. He/she will wear them when we leave the hospital

-Insurance card, seal impression, consent form for hospitalization, consent form for blood transfusion, mother-and-child health record notebook, patient’s registration ticket

-Maternity shorts (puerperant panties), crop-top bra (easier for breast feeding training and/or consultation)

-Daily sanitary goods such as shampoo or tooth brush

-Tissue paper

Women should not touch water right after a delivery, for about a month. It means that women should concentrate on taking care of her baby, not housework, including using water for cooking and washing. It is said that symptoms of climacterium [psychological and biological adjustment] tend to be worse if a woman used water soon after the delivery. Although I am not sure if this is reliable, it has been handed down for long time. With the development of technology, we now have highly developed home appliances and food delivery services which allow us to live without touching water a lot in housework, so it may be one of the reasons why Japanese live longer than before.”

WaterAid / Behailu Shiferaw

Mestawet Legesse (Ethiopia)

“I have already given birth to three children, so I know a thing or two about it. So I brought with me a towel to hold and cover the baby with. That is all he needs for now. For myself, I brought sanitary napkins, some underwear, sweatpants and a long loose dress, a pair of socks and a bottle of Mirinda [orange soda]. The Mirinda helps move your stomach as if to throw up, and it helps to turn the baby around so it goes out properly.”

Jordi Ruiz Cirera / WaterAid

Chadla Suyhidy Morales Benjamio (Nicaragua)

“I have my sheets, my towel, a sweater, and some cotton to put in my ears after giving birth. And something to tie my hair with.

They tell me the way I should bathe my baby and that the baby has to bathe every day … I think everything is good, but the earliest only problem I have is that the water from the well irritates my skin. It itches a lot and it also gives me an allergy, leaving scars on my skin and I cannot drink the water.”

James Kiyimba / WaterAid

Kemisa Hidaya (Uganda)

“In preparation for my child’s delivery, the midwife gave me a list of things to bring in my mama kit. In private hospitals pregnant women don’t have to take all these things, but those who deliver in public hospitals have to because services here are over subsidized.

I was requested to come along with the following:

1. Two nylon sheets which are spread on the bed during childbirth

2. Ten pairs of gloves, but I only bought two because I did not have money to buy 10.

3. A pair of new razor blades for use during the childbirth process

4. Cotton wool roll for padding and cleaning blood in the process of delivery

5. Washing soap powder for cleaning the labor room after delivery

6. A bottle of Jik disinfectant

7. Bucket and basin for bathing and urination

8. Flask for hot drinking water and cups

9. A roll of toilet paper

10. Baby receiver to cover the baby

11. Nappies

12. Bedding for use while in the hospital

13. Emergency money