{"id":1879,"date":"2025-08-07T05:37:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/?p=1879"},"modified":"2025-09-17T06:39:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T06:39:39","slug":"does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/","title":{"rendered":"Does maternal health care need male involvement?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1880\" style=\"width:404px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Badami, 28, had delivered a boy on 8th October 2024. I met her at home during a field visit to Vardara village in southern Rajasthan. When I asked about the newborn, she whispered \u201c<em>Bac<\/em><em>c<\/em><em>h<\/em><em>o<\/em><em> off <\/em><em>vey<\/em><em>i gayo<\/em>\u201d, (the baby passed away).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her husband sitting nearby told me that at the time of delivery, fluid had accumulated in the newborn\u2019s lungs which led to its asphyxiating and dying shortly after. Badami said \u201cAfter getting home, I felt like I couldn\u2019t live anymore. I couldn\u2019t do anything. My husband cooked, looked after our three year-old daughter, took care of his parents and cared for me as well\u201d. Her husband, shared that since then she has been feeling extremely weak with continuing abdominal and back pain. He added, &#8220;When Badami was unwell, it became my responsibility to manage the household. There\u2019s always work at home. However, I thought if she gets some rest, she\u2019ll recover sooner\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1881\" style=\"width:364px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>An ARTH field worker had earlier met Badami as a part of the <em>Navneet<\/em> intervention which focuses on maternal and infant care through the year after delivery. She advised Badami to rest adequately, avoid strenuous work, to include nutritious food in her diet and to visit ARTH\u2019s Health Center for a postpartum checkup, which she later did, along with her husband. At the health center, the nurse-midwife found that her haemoglobin level had dropped to 9 g\/dL. She advised her to include iron-rich foods, locally available green leafy vegetables, pulses, jaggery, etc. in her diet along with iron supplementation. During our discussion she told me that she has been taking IFA tablets consistently and had discussed with her husband about delaying pregnancy until she recovered her strength. I was struck by the extent to which Badami had regained confidence after what was clearly, a traumatizing delivery experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emerging evidence emphasises the importance of male involvement in maternal health, especially during the postpartum period. Maria Rosa et al. (2021) emphasize that emotional support from husbands during the early postpartum phase enables mothers to feel less isolated, more capable, and better equipped to cope with the demands of new motherhood (<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3889\/oamjms.2021.5761\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3889\/oamjms.2021.5761<\/a>). Similarly, a systematic review by Yargawa (2015) of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights that male involvement in both pregnancy and postpartum care is associated with reduced odds of postpartum depression (<a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1136\/jech2014-204784\"><u>http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1136\/jech2014-204784<\/u><\/a>). The author concludes that maternal health must not be viewed solely as the woman\u2019s issue &#8211; men must be seen as part of the solution, and not as passive bystanders or barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a qualitative study conducted in Madhya Pradesh, India (2020), found that lack of male-inclusive infrastructure and gendered expectations at health facilities acted as powerful deterrents to male participation (<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10995-020-03029-8\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10995-020-03029-8<\/a>). According to a more recent review (2023), \u201cmen who accompany pregnant women to health facilities are shunned, stigmatised and or labelled as \u2018weak\u2019, \u2018controlling\u2019, \u2018bewitched\u2019 and \u2018women`s rivals\u2019 which acts as a hindrance to male involvement in maternal health\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.midw.2021.103089\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.midw.2021.103089<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Badami\u2019s example suggests that a husband\u2019s support makes a major difference not only to physical recovery, but also reinforces a woman\u2019s emotional resilience. Meaningful male involvement in postpartum care will require a fundamental shift in how we view gender roles in the context of pregnancy, delivery and the extended postpartum period. Meanwhile, I wished Badami strength and courage as she recuperated physically and mentally, and along with her husband, looked forward to a brighter future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &#8211; Himani Sharma<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Badami, 28, had delivered a boy on 8th October 2024. I met her at home during a field visit to Vardara village in southern Rajasthan. When I asked about the newborn, she whispered \u201cBaccho off veyi gayo\u201d, (the baby passed away). Her husband sitting nearby told me that at the time of delivery, fluid had accumulated in the newborn\u2019s lungs which led to its asphyxiating and dying shortly after. Badami said \u201cAfter getting home, I felt like I couldn\u2019t live anymore. I couldn\u2019t do anything. My husband cooked, looked after our three year-old daughter, took care of his parents and cared for me as well\u201d. Her husband, shared that since then she has been feeling extremely weak with continuing abdominal and back pain. He added, &#8220;When Badami was unwell, it became my responsibility to manage the household. There\u2019s always work at home. However, I thought if she gets some rest, she\u2019ll recover sooner\u201d. An ARTH field worker had earlier met Badami as a part of the Navneet intervention which focuses on maternal and infant care through the year after delivery. She advised Badami to rest adequately, avoid strenuous work, to include nutritious food in her diet and to visit ARTH\u2019s Health Center for a postpartum checkup, which she later did, along with her husband. At the health center, the nurse-midwife found that her haemoglobin level had dropped to 9 g\/dL. She advised her to include iron-rich foods, locally available green leafy vegetables, pulses, jaggery, etc. in her diet along with iron supplementation. During our discussion she told me that she has been taking IFA tablets consistently and had discussed with her husband about delaying pregnancy until she recovered her strength. I was struck by the extent to which Badami had regained confidence after what was clearly, a traumatizing delivery experience. Emerging evidence emphasises the importance of male involvement in maternal health, especially during the postpartum period. Maria Rosa et al. (2021) emphasize that emotional support from husbands during the early postpartum phase enables mothers to feel less isolated, more capable, and better equipped to cope with the demands of new motherhood (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3889\/oamjms.2021.5761). Similarly, a systematic review by Yargawa (2015) of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights that male involvement in both pregnancy and postpartum care is associated with reduced odds of postpartum depression (http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1136\/jech2014-204784). The author concludes that maternal health must not be viewed solely as the woman\u2019s issue &#8211; men must be seen as part of the solution, and not as passive bystanders or barriers. However, a qualitative study conducted in Madhya Pradesh, India (2020), found that lack of male-inclusive infrastructure and gendered expectations at health facilities acted as powerful deterrents to male participation (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10995-020-03029-8). According to a more recent review (2023), \u201cmen who accompany pregnant women to health facilities are shunned, stigmatised and or labelled as \u2018weak\u2019, \u2018controlling\u2019, \u2018bewitched\u2019 and \u2018women`s rivals\u2019 which acts as a hindrance to male involvement in maternal health\u201d (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.midw.2021.103089). Badami\u2019s example suggests that a husband\u2019s support makes a major difference not only to physical recovery, but also reinforces a woman\u2019s emotional resilience. Meaningful male involvement in postpartum care will require a fundamental shift in how we view gender roles in the context of pregnancy, delivery and the extended postpartum period. Meanwhile, I wished Badami strength and courage as she recuperated physically and mentally, and along with her husband, looked forward to a brighter future. &#8211; Himani Sharma<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Does maternal health care need male involvement? - Action Research and Training for Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does maternal health care need male involvement? - Action Research and Training for Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Badami, 28, had delivered a boy on 8th October 2024. I met her at home during a field visit to Vardara village in southern Rajasthan. When I asked about the newborn, she whispered \u201cBaccho off veyi gayo\u201d, (the baby passed away). Her husband sitting nearby told me that at the time of delivery, fluid had accumulated in the newborn\u2019s lungs which led to its asphyxiating and dying shortly after. Badami said \u201cAfter getting home, I felt like I couldn\u2019t live anymore. I couldn\u2019t do anything. My husband cooked, looked after our three year-old daughter, took care of his parents and cared for me as well\u201d. Her husband, shared that since then she has been feeling extremely weak with continuing abdominal and back pain. He added, &#8220;When Badami was unwell, it became my responsibility to manage the household. There\u2019s always work at home. However, I thought if she gets some rest, she\u2019ll recover sooner\u201d. An ARTH field worker had earlier met Badami as a part of the Navneet intervention which focuses on maternal and infant care through the year after delivery. She advised Badami to rest adequately, avoid strenuous work, to include nutritious food in her diet and to visit ARTH\u2019s Health Center for a postpartum checkup, which she later did, along with her husband. At the health center, the nurse-midwife found that her haemoglobin level had dropped to 9 g\/dL. She advised her to include iron-rich foods, locally available green leafy vegetables, pulses, jaggery, etc. in her diet along with iron supplementation. During our discussion she told me that she has been taking IFA tablets consistently and had discussed with her husband about delaying pregnancy until she recovered her strength. I was struck by the extent to which Badami had regained confidence after what was clearly, a traumatizing delivery experience. Emerging evidence emphasises the importance of male involvement in maternal health, especially during the postpartum period. Maria Rosa et al. (2021) emphasize that emotional support from husbands during the early postpartum phase enables mothers to feel less isolated, more capable, and better equipped to cope with the demands of new motherhood (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3889\/oamjms.2021.5761). Similarly, a systematic review by Yargawa (2015) of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights that male involvement in both pregnancy and postpartum care is associated with reduced odds of postpartum depression (http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1136\/jech2014-204784). The author concludes that maternal health must not be viewed solely as the woman\u2019s issue &#8211; men must be seen as part of the solution, and not as passive bystanders or barriers. However, a qualitative study conducted in Madhya Pradesh, India (2020), found that lack of male-inclusive infrastructure and gendered expectations at health facilities acted as powerful deterrents to male participation (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10995-020-03029-8). According to a more recent review (2023), \u201cmen who accompany pregnant women to health facilities are shunned, stigmatised and or labelled as \u2018weak\u2019, \u2018controlling\u2019, \u2018bewitched\u2019 and \u2018women`s rivals\u2019 which acts as a hindrance to male involvement in maternal health\u201d (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.midw.2021.103089). Badami\u2019s example suggests that a husband\u2019s support makes a major difference not only to physical recovery, but also reinforces a woman\u2019s emotional resilience. Meaningful male involvement in postpartum care will require a fundamental shift in how we view gender roles in the context of pregnancy, delivery and the extended postpartum period. Meanwhile, I wished Badami strength and courage as she recuperated physically and mentally, and along with her husband, looked forward to a brighter future. &#8211; Himani Sharma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Action Research and Training for Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-07T05:37:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-17T06:39:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4-1024x1024.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/#\/schema\/person\/0a5fca53f9a94baa945b37d6efbdfcfc\"},\"headline\":\"Does maternal health care need male involvement?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-07T05:37:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-17T06:39:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/\"},\"wordCount\":598,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/\",\"name\":\"Does maternal health care need male involvement? 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- Action Research and Training for Health","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Does maternal health care need male involvement? - Action Research and Training for Health","og_description":"Badami, 28, had delivered a boy on 8th October 2024. I met her at home during a field visit to Vardara village in southern Rajasthan. When I asked about the newborn, she whispered \u201cBaccho off veyi gayo\u201d, (the baby passed away). Her husband sitting nearby told me that at the time of delivery, fluid had accumulated in the newborn\u2019s lungs which led to its asphyxiating and dying shortly after. Badami said \u201cAfter getting home, I felt like I couldn\u2019t live anymore. I couldn\u2019t do anything. My husband cooked, looked after our three year-old daughter, took care of his parents and cared for me as well\u201d. Her husband, shared that since then she has been feeling extremely weak with continuing abdominal and back pain. He added, &#8220;When Badami was unwell, it became my responsibility to manage the household. There\u2019s always work at home. However, I thought if she gets some rest, she\u2019ll recover sooner\u201d. An ARTH field worker had earlier met Badami as a part of the Navneet intervention which focuses on maternal and infant care through the year after delivery. She advised Badami to rest adequately, avoid strenuous work, to include nutritious food in her diet and to visit ARTH\u2019s Health Center for a postpartum checkup, which she later did, along with her husband. At the health center, the nurse-midwife found that her haemoglobin level had dropped to 9 g\/dL. She advised her to include iron-rich foods, locally available green leafy vegetables, pulses, jaggery, etc. in her diet along with iron supplementation. During our discussion she told me that she has been taking IFA tablets consistently and had discussed with her husband about delaying pregnancy until she recovered her strength. I was struck by the extent to which Badami had regained confidence after what was clearly, a traumatizing delivery experience. Emerging evidence emphasises the importance of male involvement in maternal health, especially during the postpartum period. Maria Rosa et al. (2021) emphasize that emotional support from husbands during the early postpartum phase enables mothers to feel less isolated, more capable, and better equipped to cope with the demands of new motherhood (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3889\/oamjms.2021.5761). Similarly, a systematic review by Yargawa (2015) of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights that male involvement in both pregnancy and postpartum care is associated with reduced odds of postpartum depression (http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1136\/jech2014-204784). The author concludes that maternal health must not be viewed solely as the woman\u2019s issue &#8211; men must be seen as part of the solution, and not as passive bystanders or barriers. However, a qualitative study conducted in Madhya Pradesh, India (2020), found that lack of male-inclusive infrastructure and gendered expectations at health facilities acted as powerful deterrents to male participation (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10995-020-03029-8). According to a more recent review (2023), \u201cmen who accompany pregnant women to health facilities are shunned, stigmatised and or labelled as \u2018weak\u2019, \u2018controlling\u2019, \u2018bewitched\u2019 and \u2018women`s rivals\u2019 which acts as a hindrance to male involvement in maternal health\u201d (https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.midw.2021.103089). Badami\u2019s example suggests that a husband\u2019s support makes a major difference not only to physical recovery, but also reinforces a woman\u2019s emotional resilience. Meaningful male involvement in postpartum care will require a fundamental shift in how we view gender roles in the context of pregnancy, delivery and the extended postpartum period. Meanwhile, I wished Badami strength and courage as she recuperated physically and mentally, and along with her husband, looked forward to a brighter future. &#8211; Himani Sharma","og_url":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/","og_site_name":"Action Research and Training for Health","article_published_time":"2025-08-07T05:37:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-17T06:39:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4-1024x1024.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/#\/schema\/person\/0a5fca53f9a94baa945b37d6efbdfcfc"},"headline":"Does maternal health care need male involvement?","datePublished":"2025-08-07T05:37:32+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-17T06:39:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/"},"wordCount":598,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/4.png","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/","url":"https:\/\/www.arth.in\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/does-maternal-health-care-need-male-involvement\/","name":"Does maternal health care need male involvement? 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