Births at Home: About 411 Cases Collected in the Township of Hiheatro in the Southern Part of Togo

Abstract

This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted from January 2nd to march 30th 2019 in the township of Hihéatro in Togo. We included in the study, women who had given birth at least once at home and who accepted to undergo the survey. Data were collected, using a pre-planned and pre-tested survey sheet, by a team of four trained interviewers under the responsibility of a supervisor. Interviews were carried out in the homes of the respondents after obtaining their informed consent. The parameters studied were the number of births at home, socio-demographic characteristics, and reasons for births at home and maternal and fetal prognosis. 411 women gave birth at home in the township. The average number of births at home per woman was 2 with extremes of 1 and 7 births per woman. The average age of the women was 28.4 years with the extremes of 15 and 38 years. The 25 - 34 age group represented 67.1% of cases. The average parity of the patients was 2. Multiparas represented 59.8% of cases. The main reasons for giving births at home by the interviewees were insufficient financial means in 36% of cases and the lack of means of transport in 28% of cases. Maternal morbidity was marked by 14.1% perineal tear, 1.6% hysterectomy. Four hundred and eleven newborns were registered. Of these newborns, 4.4% were stillborn and 8, 8% did not cry at birth. Free obstetric care and increased awareness on the importance of assisted deliveries will improve the maternal-fetal prognosis.