We often discuss doctors, but today we want to focus on those hands that hold life from the very first moment: the midwives. They are the first to hear the heartbeat, to receive the questions, to accompany the fear and the joy. They are the ones who know each patient before, during, and after childbirth. They are the ones who talk about family planning, about rights, about care… and who, probably in a few years, will be attending to the daughters they see born today.
Seham Mohamad is all smiles.
That kind smile that invites you to trust, to share your worries; childbirth, postpartum, relationships at home, the health of your sons and daughters.
At the Doctors of the World clinic, somewhere in northern Syria, Seham is one of the first doors women knock on. Many arrive knowing which contraceptive method they want; others need Seham to listen to them and explain options based on their age, their life, and their culture. She never imposes, she always suggests.
Aisha’s decision: Cesarean section or spend a week without taking care of her children.
As we were talking, Aisha (a pseudonym) came in with her newborn in her arms. She had come to greet Seham and thank her. During her delivery, at a private clinic, she had been told she needed a cesarean section. But Aisha knew what that entailed. She decided to go to a Doctors of the World center.
The delivery was complicated; the baby was very large, the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, and the placenta wasn’t coming out naturally. But Seham and her partner were there, supporting, guiding, and caring. Thanks to them, Aisha achieved the natural birth she had hoped for.
Afterward, they helped her clean up, washed the baby, and gave her advice on breastfeeding, vaccinations, nutrition, and postpartum care. Now Aisha is following a family planning plan and already has four neonatal appointments scheduled.
“I have felt cared for throughout the entire process, both me and the baby,” Aisha tells us with emotion.
Stories like Seham’s are made possible by the European Union’s humanitarian aid, which allows Doctors of the World to continue providing free, high-quality healthcare to women who would otherwise be excluded from the system. Because supporting midwives is supporting life, health, and dignity. And in places where giving birth is a challenge, they are the first safe embrace.