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Eileithyia
Daughter of Zeus and Hera; Greek goddess of delivery- the one who aids, delays or protracts women’s labor in Homer’s Iliad.
Today’s modern Eileithyiai who certainly aid (never delay nor protract) women not just during delivery but through the entire stage of motherhood- doctors, nurses and midwives- are a group of professionals collectively called Skilled Birth Attendants.
Motherhood can be described in a gazillion ways depending on the circumstances the woman encounters; exciting, life-changing, fattening, disgusting and death-defying on top of it all. With the complexities faced by a pregnant woman, help from family, friends and the society is vital in the success of her delivery. Thus, the advocacy for a planned, wanted, and supported pregnancy.
The process of giving birth depends greatly on her compliance with at least four antenatal care visits to a health facility and a facility-based delivery in which a skilled birth attendant is present. Regardless of her experiences or circumstances, how tough they may be, these indicators prove valuable in achieving an uneventful delivery.
Maternal death has steadily declined since the government under the Department of Health has established programs aimed to aid mothers. Although we are falling way behind other countries in improving maternal and child health, with the help and cooperation of the Filipinos, this will slowly change for the betterment of our nation- then no woman will lose a life during pregnancy, labor or delivery.
No pregnant woman- teenager, single mother, addict, alcoholic, prostitute- shall be left unaided at a time when another precious and innocent life awaits to see the light. And no woman shall hesitate and value shame and indignation only to sacrifice her child.
We, Filipinos, are moving towards a healthy nation and we like to look forward to a time when all mothers will be helped by their Eileithyiai in order to surpass and triumph the delivery process.
