Why women give birth in odd places

Several times I have seen women fall into labour in markets, during services in the church, while using the bathroom or toilet, on the farm and at many other odd places.It is quite amazing that many women do not know their menstrual cycles. For such women, it only means they never knew it right from when they started.It is also unfortunate that such women did not get such education from their parents or guardians. This is a society where sexual education, in most homes, is still a taboo of sort. And it is not about formal education or exposure, you just don't talk about it!While writing this blog, I couldn’t stop laughing out loud thinking of responses I get from many of my pregnant mothers.Ironically, many of these women are educated, enlightened, intelligent, but this is part of their lives they simply can't fathom how to cope with.My mother once told me the story of how she gave birth to my elder sister. She was working on a farm field that day when she fell into labour, and she almost had the baby right there. Why? She didn't know her EDD (estimated due date).Then she told me my own story; how she gave birth to me.  After 9 years that she had my elder sister, my mother became pregnant again, but didn’t know. She only started feeling concerned after noticing some hormonal activities like breast tenderness and other body changes. Then she went to see a medical doctor who checked her body and told her that she had “cancer of the breast”.The doctor booked my mother for surgery to remove her two breasts!As God would have it, she mentioned it to someone who suggested a pregnancy test, and that was how she knew she was pregnant. My mummy would have lost that pregnancy and there wouldn’t have been me. There wouldn't have been me trying to save lives of other mothers and babies. What really happened to my mum? The same reason why she didn't know her EDD.If you were a nurse/midwife, you would find it interesting during antenatal care registration or booking that 60% of the pregnant women are not sure of their last menstrual periods.Let me share certain experiences with you:Me: Madam, when was the last time you saw your menses?Madam: Hmmmm, Aunty I don’t know oooooo, the blood came and left.Me: (Laughs) okay which month did the blood visit and leave?Madam: I just noticed body weakness, big tummy and some changes. Then I decided to do pregnancy test.Me: How many months is the pregnancy?Madam: Aunty seriously I am not sure.Me: Don’t worry, we will help you get that through scan result, okay? (Both of us really laughed at this)Second Example:Me: Madam B what’s your LMP?Madam B: I saw it last 2 months ago.Me: What date Ma?Madam B: I don’t know the date. Aunty this sex of a thing is a duty to keep to, so how will I even know when a baby has entered?Me: Thanks for your time, we will discuss it generally.Pregnancies are dated in weeks starting from the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period (LMP). If her menstrual periods are regular and ovulation occurs on day 14 of her cycle, conception takes place about 2 weeks after her LMP.It is a myth and most people mistake bleeding during a pregnancy to be a 'period'. Let me explain things in a more detailed manner to create a better understanding.During a period, the endometrium (the inner lining of the womb) is shed in order to form a new one, which needs to be strong in order to allow a growing fetus (baby) to implant itself on the lining. During pregnancy, when the fetus has implanted itself on your endometrium and has begun growing, the endometrium cannot shed, but if it does, the fetus will also be lost as it has implanted itself on the endometrium.People tend to mistake bleeding which can sometimes occur during pregnancy due to some underlying causes, to be a period.Most of these little errors could lead to certain problems, especially in cases where the pregnant woman did not enroll for antenatal care and skilled birth attendants cannot estimate the due date to deliver the woman of the baby.I have had opportunities to discuss and enlighten pregnant women who didn't know their menstrual periods. If you don't know your period, how can you know how not to deliver your baby at a bus stop?My name is Nomso, that's me in the picture booking a pregnant woman for antenatal care. Read my personal story here