Reflections from Lo Thi Tien

“In 2017 I participated in a training program for Ethnic Minority Midwives. Everything was new for me. It was the best experience of my life. We did the course at the Provincial General Hospital and the Provincial Center for Reproductive Health, and we learned by practicing on pregnant women and real patients. I loved the way my teachers taught me. They were very detailed, very dedicated, and very careful. I learned how to give injections and do transfusions, how to do a gynecology checkup, and how to counsel women on pre-natal care. I learned a lot about assistance for safe delivery. During the course, I assisted 11 deliveries and counseled many women.

When I finished my training and came back to the village, I remember using my stethoscope to listen to a fetus’ heartbeat. It was amazing. The women in my village were so excited! I felt so good.

I also successfully assisted two births in my village. It was July, and raining. The pregnant women were already in labour and could not travel to the commune health station because the road was terrible. When assisting the birth, I tried to do all the steps I had learned in the training program. It resulted well and both mother and baby were safe. I felt touched that I was able to help this mother deliver her baby. I was very happy and so were they. I visited them a few days after the delivery to help bathe the baby, and made sure that they prepared warm and clean water for the bath.

Since the training program, I’ve also completed a course in nutrition. Right after I came back from the course, I applied my new nutrition knowledge and cooking skills with my own baby. I also gave guidance to some neighbors who have children. I knew they practiced what I had taught them because on the day they prepared food for their babies, they asked me to come and check if they did so correctly. I feel so happy to know that I have become helpful for our people.

Some people complain that they don’t have time to cook such foods, so I have to persuade them. I talk a lot about nutrition, the nutritional value of foods, and the importance of eating diversified foods and avoiding instant porridge. We still have many women with children and pregnant women who need help. However, I am committed to organizing education sessions with the other Village Health Workers to make sure our community has the knowledge they need.

Lo Thi Tien is an Ethnic Minority Midwife living in a Thai village in Son La province, Vietnam. Tien completed her six-month training in 2017, and plays an integral role to support maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition in her community. Tien is supported by HealthBridge’s “Saving lives of mothers and children in Nepal and Vietnam”.