• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Philippine Hammock Ambulance Increases Maternal Health while Maintaining Traditional, Natural Birthing Practices

Typically, I advocate for home birth, but in some areas of the world, a birthing center is a much safer option for baby and mom. In the remote Ifugao province of the Philippines, the traditional ayod hammock form of transportation for the sick is being used to transport mothers in labor in this mountainous region.

The maternal mortality ratio in Ifuago is 260 per 100,000 live births compared to the national average of 162 per 100,000.  70 percent of rural births are at home, but these rates are dropping due to initiatives to get women to birthing facilities using the ayod, or hammock ambulance.

IRIN Asia reports:

Hammocks are helping an increasing number of women in the remote mountains of Ifugao, a province in the northern Philippines, reach hospital to give birth.

The ayod, an improvised hammock, is an indigenous tradition used to transport the sick and elderly through mountainous terrain. A formalized ayod initiative, the Ayod Community Health Teams (ACHT), is helping an increasing number of rural women deliver their babies in health centres.

“The ayod has always been there, but now, institutionalized as a community effort, it has mitigated the two factors that greatly affect maternal health, namely: the decision to seek care and the means of transportation to get it,” said Hector Follosco, a provincial programme officer for UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Ifugao.

According to UNFPA, an Ayod team is “composed of barangay chairs, midwives, barangay health workers, traditional birth attendants, and community volunteers”. A barangay is a village, the “smallest administrative division”.

Natural birth is not being abandoned in efforts to decrease maternal mortality in remote, mountainous regions of the Philippines.  Traditional, natural methods are being embraced, from transportation to birth attendants.  I love the ayod, and if I had to be transported during one of my labors, that would be the green way to go!

Photo: UNFPA Ifugao

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Baltimore Sun: “Higher the proportion of infants and toddlers receiving recommended vaccines, the higher the state’s rate of children diagnosed with autism or speech-language problems”
Hank D and the Bee: Help a bee »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

It’s Time to Quit Plastics and How to do It

Reduce Plastic Waste with re-brush Eco-Friendly Toothbrush

More from the archives!

How To Save Money On Green & Healthy School Supplies

Is Stevia Safe? Not According to the FDA

Joe Mohr Cartoons: Charlie the Chopper

Is the FDA Trying to Ban Homeopathic Remedies?

Kid-Friendly Holiday Vegetarian Recipes: Persimmon Cookies

COVID Back to School: Helping children cope with uncertainty

covid19 pregnancy

Does the Coronavirus Attack the Placenta and cause 2nd Trimester Miscarriages?

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy
logo
Food Advertising by

Organic Children’s Sleepwear Recalled by CPSC Due to Violation of Federal Flammability Standard

Michelle Obama, Sesame Street, and Republican Big Bird

Juil copper dot earthing shoes connect you to earth!

How to keep New Year’s Resolutions: Make them daily

Take the Time to Walk Barefoot in the Grass

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

From Inspiration to Action: 18+

The Post That Won't Be Written

PVC Free Shower Curtains!

Mothers Milk: Breastfeeding and The Non Supportive Other

Help Save the Planet: Join the EPA’s Team Energy Star

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy policy