“Born with Love Law: How El Salvador is changing the way babies come into the world” was the name given to the keynote speech that the first lady of the republic, Gabriela de Bukele, gave this day to the medical staff of the San Matteo hospital and from the School of Specialization of the University of Pavia, Lombardy, Italy.
The First Lady explained how, through a diagnosis, a 30-year delay in the health system was identified and the disconnection that existed between health personnel and their vocation, applying processes mechanically, without taking into account the needs of the mother and baby.
“Our health system systematically and routinely fostered a population with diseases and health conditions that could be prevented by simply changing one critical factor: the way we come into the world […] The experiences I had as a psychologist and prenatal educator in a system that violated the rights of mothers, plus the diagnosis, made us decide to create a law that would guarantee a new model of maternal and child care”, explained Gabriela de Bukele.
During the dissertation, the First Lady detailed the new care model that places the mother-child relationship at the center of the entire process, which includes the implementation of actions such as: the National Prenatal Education Program, the choice of the mother of Having a companion during childbirth encourages skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding from the first hour of birth, timely cutting of the umbilical cord, and rooming-in.
To date, the country has more than 5,000 health professionals updated with the latest scientific evidence for maternal and child health care; In addition, 100% of the maternity hospitals in the public health system were intervened with adjustments and equipment; health personnel were provided with uniforms, gowns designed for labor were also provided for mothers.
As part of the results since the law entered into force, the following stand out: decrease in maternal deaths from direct causes such as hemorrhages, sepsis, preeclampsia and eclampsia; 89% of babies born during this period have started breastfeeding during the first hour of life; decrease in caesarean sections and neonatal deaths.
Regarding greater satisfaction of mothers and their families when receiving maternal and child care, in 2022 it was 93%, compared to 20% in 2021.
“Profound changes generate fear and mistrust, especially when we talk about human lives. But the facts speak for themselves, and the evidence and statistics are very encouraging and confirm that we are on the right path,” the First Lady stressed.
Also, Gabriela de Bukele pointed out that the next step in the implementation of the Nacer con Cariño Law is the construction of the El Nido Maternity Center.
“Part of this effort is focused on the creation of the Nacer con Cariño El Nido Maternity Center, which seeks to be the benchmark for the new model of maternal and child care that we wish to implement. This project is what brings us here, before you, to learn from your experiences and successes in order to nurture the current model and design of El Nido,” said the first lady, Gabriela de Bukele.
Before the conference, the First Lady visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Training School for Obstetricians of the San Matteo hospital, with the aim of generating an academic exchange between El Salvador and the University of Pavia for the specialization of professionals.