While waiting for the decision of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would enable the presence of an escort during childbirth in all hospitals, thanks to the initiative of the “Baby Steps” Association, some institutions have already made a step forward and enabled the presence of a close person.
Among them is the Zenica Cantonal Hospital. Emotional support is one of the many advantages of being accompanied during childbirth.
Although it has already been a year since the initiation of the initiative for the legal regulation of a woman’s right to be accompanied by a person of her choice during childbirth, in many maternity hospitals the presence of an escort still exists only as a recommendation, but not as a practice. The Association “Baby Steps” emphasizes that this is the right of every woman, not a privilege.
“For this reason, we moved towards the Federal Parliament, because the issue of escorting is not a medical issue. Practically, it is left to the doctor to choose whether or not to provide an escort during his shift, that is, to his mood,” emphasizes Amila Tatarević, president of the “Baby steps” Association.
Attendance at childbirth in the Zenica hospital is allowed under medical conditions and according to the capabilities of the department.
The department has three delivery rooms, but each procedure is carried out in accordance with prescribed medical standards.
“Usually we place the escort, the one who wants to be accompanied, in that isolated delivery room, then that ‘patient’ will be alone with his wife, to attend. In the delivery room where we place women who are preparing to give birth, she will not be alone, there will be five or six of them, so now it’s a little awkward because she is examined there, so that he doesn’t look at the women, so we don’t allow that,” says Abdullah Granić, Head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, KB Zenica.
Although so far only a small number of women in labor, as statistics show, 10 percent of them, have requested the right to be accompanied, the Center for Women’s Rights emphasizes the importance of education about the rights of women in labor.
“That’s why they don’t need any special rooms, any special prerequisites, it doesn’t cost anything in the budget, it’s enough just to put up screens as a form of physical intimacy, and that’s what every hospital has,” says Amila Tatarević.
“Organize informative and educational sessions, meetings with all interested women, regardless of whether they are pregnant, giving birth or women who want to support this initiative to have the right to be accompanied during every birth,” says Selma Badžić, program assistant at the Zenica Center for Women’s Rights.
The adoption of regulations that will allow the presence of a companion throughout the birth is now in the hands of the Federal Government. Until that happens, the example of hospitals that have already provided women with support and the presence of their closest relatives during childbirth is encouraging.
