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Adapted from presentation by May Post, ESD Project

Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy (HTSP): For healthy babies, healthy mothers, and healthy communities. Adapted from presentation by May Post, ESD Project Consultation on Faith, Family Planning, and Family Well-being , Georgetown University, April 2011.

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Adapted from presentation by May Post, ESD Project

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  1. Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy (HTSP):For healthy babies, healthy mothers, and healthy communities Adapted from presentation by May Post, ESD Project Consultation on Faith, Family Planning, and Family Well-being, Georgetown University, April 2011

  2. The technical experts concluded that closely spaced pregnancies can lead to the following: Source: Report of a Technical Consultation Report on Birth Spacing (WHO) Babies may be: • Born too early • Of low birth weight • Too small • More likely to die Mothers may be: • More likely to die in childbirth • More likely to miscarry a pregnancy • More likely to seek an unsafe abortion

  3. Pregnancy Timing Women under the age of 18 are twice as likely to die, and women under the age of 15 are five times more likely to die of complications compared to women over18 years of age.

  4. Recommendations from WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA on early age pregnancy Source: UNICEF, Facts for Life 3rd edition, New York, United nations Children’s Fund , 2002; WHO/UNFPA Pregnant Adolescents: Delivering on Global Promises of Hope, WHO, 2006 Delay first pregnancy until at least 18 years of age. Kenyan mother, 2006 Mike Wang, Courtesy of Photoshare

  5. HTSP Concept HTSP helps women: • space pregnancies • better time pregnancies • become pregnant and give birth when it is healthiest and safest for mother and child.

  6. Benefits of HTSP • Progress in FP’s role in helping women avoid unintended pregnancies. • Focus on lowered fertility • FP’s role in achieving healthy fertility – much less recognized • The focus on healthy fertility encourages couples to use FP - to time and space pregnancies – for improved mother and child health

  7. Benefits of HTSP: For Women Spacing • A reduced risk of pregnancy-related complications • Gives mothers two years to fully prepare for her next pregnancy Timing: • Physically and psychologically prepared to become mothers • Allows time for school and education

  8. What role does education play? Girls’ secondary school is associated with: • Higher immunization rates • Improved household nutrition • Lower rates of domestic violence • Delayed childbearing • Increased use of family planning Ian Diamond et al., “Female Education and Fertility: Examining the Links,” in Critical Perspectives on Schooling and Fertility in the Developing World, ed. Caroline H. Bledsoe et al. (Washington DC: National Academies Press, 1999): 23-45.

  9. Women’s Education & Total Fertility Rate

  10. Benefits of HTSP: For Children • A reduced risk of: • Pre term birth • Low birth weight • SGA (small baby) • Death • Breastfed for a full 2 years • Undivided attention from the mother

  11. Benefits of HTSP: For Men Involves men in making decisions about family planning, child spacing, and the health of the family. Gives men a feeling of satisfaction when they can guarantee the well being of their families Allows men time to emotionally and financially prepare for the birth of the next child

  12. Benefits of HTSP: For Communities Communities will see: • Less illness and death among mothers, babies, and children • Improvements in the quality of life • Men and women have more educational opportunities • More time to contribute to community development • Less stress • Reduced poverty

  13. HTSP Messages Support men and women practice healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy. This means that: • After a live birth, couples should wait at least 24 months before trying to become pregnant again. • After a miscarriage or abortion, couples should wait at least six months before trying to become pregnant again. • Adolescents should delay pregnancy until at least 18 years of age. • Women and men should use a family planning method of their choice to delay and space their pregnancies.

  14. What can we do? Advocacy: Reaching decision makers with data and evidence Leadership: Informed leaders ensuring an enabling environment Training: Training health workers in HTSP counseling BCC: Producing educational materials to support HTSP BCC Smart integration Community education: Educating communities about HTSP benefits in churches, mosques, schools, workplace, community events.

  15. Annual Global Burden of Disease • >500,000 maternal deaths (70,000 abortion-related; 60,000 eclampsia related) • 8 million women suffer complications • 5.5 million adolescent girls give birth • 4 million newborn deaths (28% linked to pre-term births) • 18 million LBW infants (98% in developing countries)

  16. HTSP: A Small Change that Produces Big Results • Reducing closely spaced pregnancies • Timing pregnancies at the best age possible • Contributes to the healthiest outcomes for mothers, babies, families and communities.

  17. Final Thoughts “No woman should die bringing life into the world and no child should die when we know how to save them” UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon

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