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Spreading the wisdom of Japanese midwifery

"E presiso sabi vier!" (We need to know how to live). Everyone stood up and clapped their hands as they sang the theme song for human childbirth. The atmosphere was lively and energetic, like a self-development seminar or a church mass. The seminar was co-hosted by the Amazonas State Health Department and JICA, but it was far from being a stuffy seminar.

This is a scene from the "Second Humane Childbirth Seminar," which was held at the ManiColle Municipal Exhibition Center from October 30th to 31st, and which teaches Japanese-style midwives' health knowledge and methods of providing psychological support to pregnant women.

More than 200 people learned more about childbirth, including community health workers from remote communities 28 hours away.

Grasima, Roselie, Sandra

Traditionally, there were only midwives who practiced traditional methods. Neira Cruz Oliveira (34), a midwife in Ferra Preta, a seven-hour boat ride away, has been a midwife since she was 20 years old and has already delivered 32 babies, but she had no health knowledge. "I learned how to do it while helping my seniors," she said.

Pregnancy is not an illness. The role of midwives is to assist pregnant women in giving birth naturally. In urban areas of Brazil, many doctors perform Caesarean sections immediately.

The seminar was planned by three Brazilian women who went to Japan last year for training and spent three months learning the ways of midwifery in Japan. As a follow-up project, JICA will support the alumni's plans to disseminate the contents of the training.

The seminar will allow the results of training provided by three people, Maria Gracima Fecre da Gama (41), Roselie Cerqueira Lira (47) and Sandra Cavalcante Silva (49), who work at a medical facility in Manaus, to be shared with hundreds of people.

The first one was held in Manaus, where the girls live, and attracted about 200 people. This will be ManiColle, and the third will be held in Porto Velho.

At the back of the venue, the Japanese dolls they had bought and photos they had taken in Japan were displayed, and beautiful chopsticks were distributed to all the participants. According to Grashima, they had planned and purchased everything during their visit to Japan, which was a very well-planned event. They even composed a theme song for the seminar. As they are both Brazilians, they had carefully thought out a performance that would liven up the seminar and highlight the key points to explain.

What is humane about this? Even when pregnant women are screaming in pain, public hospitals often refuse to help them, telling them things like, "You had so much fun giving birth, so you should just be patient when you give birth."

In addition, while it was not common for children of pregnant women to visit their mothers in the hospital room, the seminar focused on the psychological stability of pregnant women and actively encouraged this, which was largely a change in attitude.

Participants holding hands and singing the theme song

The importance of prenatal check-ups, which were rarely performed, was also emphasized.

Margarita Bernardo, a coordinator at Centro's medical facilities, said, "We realized that until now we hadn't given pregnant women detailed explanations because we thought it would be a hassle, and that this was actually creating unnecessary trouble. We've learned the importance of listening carefully to patients and having the patience to explain things well."

Ana Lucia Furtado Santos (30), who came from Ferra Preta, said, "I will take what I learned here back home and tell everyone," and she also highly praised the activities of HANDS, saying, "Hygiene knowledge has improved. In the past, we would immediately administer medicine, but now we are focusing on prevention."

"I thought maybe 50 people would participate, but 200 turned out. We need to spread this movement to other cities," said Grashima enthusiastically.

Kanashiro Maria Sachiko (64, second generation), the only Japanese person in Manicole who has been dispatched there as a Franciscan nun for the past three years, said, "The reality for the citizens here is that there is a lot that is lacking in many ways. In this situation, Sadamori is doing a good job of providing them with the necessary knowledge through HANDS."

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*This article was originally published in the Nikkei Shimbun on December 2, 2008 and is reprinted with permission.

*The Nikkei Shimbun ( www.nikkeyshimbun.com.br ) is a Japanese language newspaper published in Sao Paulo City, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, for immigrants, Japanese descendants, and expatriates.

© 2008 Nikkey Shimbun