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Moaning in labour facilitates delivery-Health Expert
Labour pains are very unbearable for many women and so they impulsively and uncontrollably resort to screaming as a response to the extreme pain that is associated with contractions during labour.
But does a woman in labour know that if she wants to make some noise during labour to help her feel better, she can moan instead? When she moans instead of screams, she directs the pressure she is exerting downward (to the diaphragm) and helps the labour process to continue.
In an interview with Dr. Dixie Constantini a Specialist Obstetrician Gynaecologist of the Women’s Health Obstetrics and Gynaecology, she said “it is important to save as much energy as possible for the type of noise that will help with labour progression”.
She explained that screaming during labour usually made a woman tired even before she got to the point where she had to push and some education which was usually given at Pregnancy Schools should be taken seriously or one could also learn it online if that was preferable.
She said when a woman screamed especially when she was supposed to push, almost all the energy she needed for pushing rather came out as noise “and if you are not left with enough energy to push your baby out it delays the delivery process and you will not be able to push.”
Dr. Constatini said when a woman in labour was screaming it also made it difficult for her to concentrate on the labour process and listen to the instructions of the Midwife helping her.
She was emphatic that, screaming did not make the labour process faster and that labour could sometimes be very long.
Dr. Constantini said there had been instances where some women thought that they would have short labour because of screaming but that was not true.
She said with every added child, labour was usually shorter. “So a first time mother usually has longer period of labour than a fourth time mother.”
The Specialist Obstetrician Gynaecologist further explained that even though it was usually the case, the cervix was a very special part of the womb which did what it liked to do.
“It sometimes dilates very quickly when it likes or stays closed when it doesn’t want to dilate. Thus you might find some first time mothers having very short labour and others not.
We cannot control the process of dilation sometimes. Other times we are unable to tell if someone will be able to dilate fully or not. The cervix can be very tricky. “she said.
She advised that “if you are in extreme pain and epidural anaesthesia isn’t available, you can ask for pain meds that can be injected into your butt or thigh muscle to help with the pain, that’s if those are available as well”.
“We know it is extremely difficult for most people not to scream, everyone feels pain differently and we do understand this but it is also important to listen to your Midwife or Obgyn” she said.
From Dzifa Tetteh, Kpone
News
Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
News
Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
