Do socio-cultural practices by elderly women influence obstetric complications? A study in Limpopo province.
Langanani C Makhado, Ndidzulafhi S Raliphaswa, Mary Maluleke and 1 others
PMID 39807844WHAT IT FOUND
Elderly women caregivers in Limpopo described delaying antenatal registration until 16 weeks, taking pregnant women to traditional healers, and encouraging soft porridge for newborns.
These practices may delay skilled maternity care.
Key findings
01Elderly women said they were comfortable with pregnant women registering for antenatal care only at 16 weeks or later because they believed miscarriage risk had passed.
02Elderly women said they took pregnant women near term to traditional healers for rituals believed to open the birth canal and prevent difficult labour.
03Elderly women said mothers were encouraged to feed newborns soft porridge immediately after birth, believing the baby would be born hungry.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study asked elderly women to report their own practices, not pregnant women, families, or clinical records, so it cannot show how often these practices happen or that they caused complications. Only 37 elderly women aged 50 to 80 years in Vhembe and Capricorn districts were interviewed, and hospitals were not included, so the findings may not apply elsewhere. The authors state that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the study's timing, the number of participants, and time spent in contact with them. The Vhavenda and Bapedi groups constituted the majority of the thoughts and opinions used in the study, so other cultural perspectives may be missing.
Declared interests
The only declaration provided is that the study received a grant from SAMRC (grant no.: 407).
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that a training programme reduces maternal complications. The study describes elderly women's reported practices and their own request for training; it did not test training or measure obstetric outcomes.