Recognition of and Response to Neonatal Intrapartum-related Complications in Home-birth Settings in Bangladesh

Intrapartum-related complications (previously called ‘birth asphyxia’) are a significant contributor to deaths of newborns in Bangladesh. This study describes some of the perceived signs, causes, and treatments for this condition as described by new mothers, female relatives, traditional birth attendants, and village doctors in three sites in Bangladesh. Informants were asked to name characteristics of a healthy newborn and a newborn with difficulty in breathing at birth and about the perceived causes, consequences, and treatments for breathing difficulties. Across all three sites ‘no movement’ and ‘no cry’ were identified as signs of breathing difficulties while ‘prolonged labour’ was the most commonly-mentioned cause. Informants described a variety of treatments for difficulty in breathing at birth, including biomedical and, less often, spiritual and traditional practices. This study identified the areas that need to be addressed through behaviour change interventions to improve recognition of and response to intrapartum-related complications in Bangladesh.