Midwives take leading role

Midwives take leading role

CIANJUR, West Java: Most women in the West Java regency of Cianjur deliver their babies with the help of traditional midwives, a survey reveals.

The recent study, conducted by the University of Indonesia on 450 women in 14 districts in the town, revealed that over 74 percent of the respondents sought help from midwives during delivery. Some 20 percent of them said they preferred educated midwives, 14 percent sought state midwives and only 2.4 percent went to doctors.

A local doctor, Yusrizal, said poverty was the main reason for village women opting for traditional midwives.

The survey was also intended to observe the people's awareness of breast-feeding. One of the researchers, Sandra Pikawati, said most women were not aware of exclusive breast-feeding, although they knew about the need for supplementary food for their babies. -- Antara