porodnice ne ležite, babice vstanite! / laboring women, do not lie down, midwives, stand up

V Sloveniji se vsako leto okoli 17.500 žensk veseli rojstva otroka. Žal pa številne porodnice v porodnišnicah doživljajo tudi kršitve človekovih in pacientovih pravic, neprimerne porodne prakse ter različne oblike nasilja. Gre za pojav, ki je razširjen po vsem svetu in je bil s študijami potrjen tudi v Sloveniji. Med nedopustnimi praksami so na primer grobi in boleči vaginalni pregledi kljub izrecnemu nestrinjanju ženske ali šivanje presredka brez ustreznega lajšanja bolečin. O takšnih izkušnjah ženske pogosto težko spregovorijo, posledice pa so lahko dolgotrajne: travme, poporodna depresija, tesnoba, panični napadi, otežena skrb za dojenčka, v nekaterih primerih pa tudi odločitev, da kljub želji ne bodo več rodile.

Združenje Naravni začetki že vrsto let deluje kot zagovornik pravic žensk med porodom in si prizadeva za vzpostavitev ničelne tolerance do nasilja in neprimernih praks v porodni oskrbi. Projekt Ženske ne ležite, babice vstanite! je bil nadaljevanje projekta Pravica je (tudi) ženskega spola! ter je naslavljal nujnost sistemskih sprememb in krepitve spoštljive, varne ter pravicam temelječe porodne oskrbe.

Projekt se je osredotočal na ozaveščanje in izobraževanje žensk v rodni dobi o njihovih pravicah ter na opolnomočenje babic kot ključnih spremljevalk ob enem najpomembnejših življenjskih prehodov. Skozi različne izobraževalne, zagovorniške in podporne aktivnosti je spodbujal razvoj porodne pomoči, ki je hkrati varna, strokovno utemeljena, sočutna in prijazna do žensk, otrok in družin. Takšna obravnava omogoča hitrejše okrevanje po porodu, lažje soočanje z materinstvom in boljšo kakovost življenja – z željo, da bi se ženske svojega poroda spominjale z občutkom dostojanstva, moči in nasmehom.

Kaj smo dosegli

• Povečali smo ozaveščenost žensk o njihovih pravicah pri porodu, kar potrjuje več kot 12.600 obiskov portala Pravice porodnice in več kot 1.150 odzivov na vsebine.
• Zbrali in analizirali smo 163 kršitev pravic porodnic, s čimer smo jasno osvetlili sistemske probleme porodne oskrbe v Sloveniji.
• Usposobili in opolnomočili smo babice za spoštljivo porodno oskrbo, z izobraževanjem, podporno skupino in individualnimi svetovanji.
• Povečali smo dejansko angažiranost babic v praksi, saj so začele konkretno spreminjati pristope pri obravnavi porodnic v porodnišnicah.
• Dosegli smo sistemski vpliv, saj so nosilci babiške stroke javno prepoznali problem nasilja pri porodu in se zavezali k spremembam, potrjenim tudi s sklepi Državnega sveta RS.

Prispevek k indikatorjem programa Impact4Values

• Število udeležencev aktivnosti: 65
• Število oseb, ki so koristili vaše storitve (npr. svetovanje, pravne nasvete, izobraževanja): 12

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Each year in Slovenia, approximately 17,500 women look forward to the birth of their child. Unfortunately, many women giving birth in maternity hospitals also experience violations of human and patients’ rights, inappropriate childbirth practices, and various forms of violence. This is a global phenomenon that has been confirmed by studies in Slovenia as well. Unacceptable practices include, for example, rough and painful vaginal examinations carried out despite a woman’s explicit refusal, or suturing after an episiotomy without adequate pain relief. Women often find it difficult to speak about such experiences, yet the consequences can be long-lasting: trauma, postpartum depression, anxiety, panic attacks, difficulties in caring for the newborn, and in some cases even the decision not to give birth again despite a desire to do so.

For many years, the Naravni začetki (Natural Beginnings) Association has acted as an advocate for women’s rights in childbirth and has worked towards establishing zero tolerance for violence and inappropriate practices in maternity care. The project Women Don’t Lie Down, Midwives Stand Up! built on the earlier project Rights Are (Also) a Women’s Issue! and addressed the urgent need for systemic change and the strengthening of respectful, safe, and rights-based maternity care.

The project focused on raising awareness and educating women of childbearing age about their rights, as well as empowering midwives as key companions during one of the most important transitions in life. Through a range of educational, advocacy, and support activities, the project promoted maternity care that is safe, professionally grounded, compassionate, and friendly to women, children, and families. Such care enables faster recovery after childbirth, easier adjustment to motherhood, and a better quality of life—with the aim that women remember their birth experience with a sense of dignity, strength, and a smile.

What we achieved

• We increased women’s awareness of their rights during childbirth, as evidenced by more than 12,600 visits to the Birth Rights portal and over 1,150 interactions with published content.
• We collected and analysed 163 cases of violations of women’s rights in childbirth, clearly highlighting systemic problems in maternity care in Slovenia.
• We trained and empowered midwives to provide respectful maternity care through education programmes, a support group, and individual counselling.
• We increased the practical engagement of midwives, who began implementing concrete changes in their approaches to caring for women in maternity hospitals.
• We achieved systemic impact, as representatives of the midwifery profession publicly acknowledged the problem of violence in childbirth and committed to change, a commitment also confirmed by resolutions adopted by the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia.

Contribution to Impact4Values programme indicators

• Number of participants in project activities: 65
• Number of individuals who used your services (e.g. counselling, legal advice, training): 12