Maternal Infant Health Issue

Maternal Infant Health Issue: Insufficient Accessibility to Maternal Health Services among Single Pregnant Women in Nova-Scotia
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Insufficient Accessibility to Maternal Health Services among Single Pregnant Women in Nova-Scotia
Introduction
The well-being of both mothers and children is one of the objectives all public health institutions strive to achieve. Their well-being determines the health of the nation's next generation. Maternal infant health addresses various health issues including health behaviors, health systems, and the indicators affecting the health and wellness, quality of life of women and children and their families (United Nations Development Programme, 2011). In Nova-Scotia, a majority of single pregnant women have a major issue of inaccessibility to maternal health services, owing to various social determinants affecting them. There is need to develop appropriate programs that would help reduce the severity of the problems facing the women in the region.
Overview of Maternal Infant Health
Mothers’ well- being check begins before conception and pertains to good nutrition and healthy lifestyle, and continues to the prenatal care by preventing problems arising during pregnancy. An ideal result in this process is to realize a full term pregnancy especially for single pregnant women without several interventions to deliver a healthy baby. During the postpartum period, a positive environment is important to support both the physical and emotional needs of the single mothers, the baby and other family members. Maternal health main focus begins from pregnancy to childbirth (United Nations Development Programme, 2011).
All pregnant women including single women should receive the required care at all the stages of the maternal process to have higher chances of safe delivery. Various strategies have been put in place for women to access maternal health services. Several issues still hinder single pregnant women from accessing these important services placing them at risk. Pregnancy and childbirth impact greatly on the emotional physical, mental and the socio-economic health of single women. Pregnancy –related health outcomes are determined by issues of race, ethnicity, age and income (United Nations Development Programme, 2011).
Social Determinant of Health among Single Pregnant Women in Nova Scotia
According to the World Health Organization, social determinants of health are indicators of improved health (United Nations Development Programme, 2011). Theoretically, social determinants of health are the social structures, mechanisms of resource redistribution, education, the basic condition of life and work, the existence of social support networks, the support network availability, and accessibility to health services. It is assumed that during the early infancy stages, physical, social and the cognitive development of single pregnant women relates to their psychological and economic environment leading to positive health outcomes (Smith, Gullette, & Schnepf, 2005).
However, Nova-Scotia has seen the largest increase in maternal death at approximately 5.9 maternal deaths per100, 000 deliveries from 2009 to 2010 (Lisonkova et al., 2011). This is a surprising scenario given the fact that there is an array of innovative medical technologies. Women still die from post partum hemorrhage in Nova-Scotia more than women in other countries. In the region, postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal deaths among single women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hemorrhage, hypertension, infection obstructed labor and unsafe abortion are the common health complications that places women at risk of maternal death (Lisonkova et al., 2011).
The CDC study findings indicate that a woman’s age, the number of children she already has, her knowledge of services, and her previous birth experience influence pregnancy and delivery care. For instance, young single women having their first baby are not likely to seek medical care due to apprehension about the new experience, while women having several children with poor economic background may choose other delivery options (United Nations Development Programme, 2011). This is a true reflection in Nova-Scotia; it is also a fact that contributes to high maternal deaths in the region. In addition, in Nova-Scotia single women who have previously delivered in health facilities and experienced certain difficulties or complications may not want to deliver again in a health facility setting (Lisonkova et al., 2011).
Family income affects maternal health outcomes of most single women. A family with a low income in Nova-Scotia faces several constrains in paying health services fees and other health-related resources that are essential; these can include biomedical tests. Low-income families rely on local networks or government services to meet some of their health requirements. The quality of services they receive depends on the availability of any support structures within the community. Low birth weight is also associated with socio-economic status (Smith, Gullette, & Schnepf, 2005).
According to the National Bureau of Statistic, in Nova Scotia, 22percent of fetal loss among single pregnant women are related to postpartum complications (Lisonkova et al., 2011). The postpartum care has been under-researched and also ignored, yet it forms part of maternal care. Most literature sources on postpartum care present issues on specific health care profession and their roles rather than focusing on the systems. Lack of reliable information on postpartum care and lack of clear definition of the patients needs has been the major challenge faced by medical practitioners in Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia Department of Health, 2000).
Traditionally, the postpartum care has been centered on adverse medical events that are rare occurrences, today. Issues relating to mental well-being, adjustment and social isolation especially among single women are equally important during the postpartum period. In Nova Scotia, all births take place in the hospital and attended by physician and nurses. However, there has been a reduction in the number of family physicians attending to deliveries. Currently, there is a shortage of physicians and nurses in the region. Concerns are being raised about single women facing difficulties accessing maternal care services. Health assessment and education has been done through home visits. However, owing to human resource constraints, providing support through home visits has been limited (Nova Scotia Department of Health, 2000).The Healthy Beginning Program
Owing to the health concern, the public health services in Nova Scotia started enhancing home visits initiative under the Healthy Beginning Program. In this program, the department produced self-directed learning modules for nurses working with ...