Advancing Preconception Care: Dr Gwanyama Noella Engages Sexual And Reproductive Health Advocates

L-R Dr. Gwanyama Noella and Family Photo Taken At The Event

By Raymond Dingana

Preconception care is an important aspect in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH)  that is massively being ignored by women, perhaps because they seem not to understand its importance, or because discussions around it are not enough.

Preconception care which is all about improving ones health before engaging in baby making is being neglected reason why many babies are born with malformations amongst others.

Women have also been advised to take Floric Acide one month before conception, and continue for three months during pregnancy so as to have healthy babies.

In order to reverse the trend, Dr. Gwanyama Noella, initiator of Talk Pregnancy With Dr. Noella, brought together young Sexual and Reproductive Health SRH promoters under the "Action On Preconception Care, AP-Care, step to a healthy family project.

This was Saturday March 2nd, 2024 in Bamenda, North West Region of Cameroon.

Family Photo With Dr. Noella, Volunteers, And Facilitators 

The aim was to see how information on Preconception Care, and  other women related health issues could reach all the nooks and crannies of the North West Region of Cameroon, and beyond.

"Recently, I have seen a lot of children born with malformations, and after carrying out a short survey, I discovered that about 80% of  women don't know about Preconception care, and these are interventions that occur before they get pregnant because once they are pregnant, for example the brain,and spinal cord have already formed," 

said Dr. Noella.

Let's Talk Pregnancy With Dr Noella Founder, Dr. Gwanyama Noella

She added that if there was any malformation that had to occur, it would have already happened by that time.

"So I decided to bring Preconception Care knowledge to everybody because people lack knowledge about this, and the first steep was gathering other partners who deal in SRH and women's health rights in order to reach a wider population."

Working with womens' groups both on and offline on Preconception Care amongst others are some of the things Dr. Noella said they have been doing on the ground to educate the public on the importance of Preconception Care.

Men's Role In Preconception Care 

It was discovered at one point that some men haven't been making Preconception Care a priority, reason why some of the children they implant in the wombs of women end up with abnormalities.

Addressing this situation, Dr. Noella said:

" when pregnancy is mentioned, people always say it's a woman's thing, forgetting to know where the sperm is coming from which is from the man. If the man is infected, alcoholic, if he smokes, and many others,the sperm is also affected, and can cause the baby to be malformed."

She said men too can be ambassadors of Preconception Care by telling their partners, and taking them along for the exercise.

Mdm Gwanyama Irene, Adviser

On her part, Gwanyama Irene invited young persons especially those planning to have a family to go for Preconception Care as it is a pathway to a healthy family, void of challenges like sickle cell anemia, and others.

What Volunteers Have Been To Educate Population On Preconception Care 

The achievements that have been recorded by the Action On Preconception Care ,AP-Care step to a healthy family are thanks to young volunteers. 

One of them is Niegem Mbwame who have been volunteering for 2 years now. She said amongst others that:

" I am passionate about promoting maternal, and neonatal health. I participated in the initiative to increase intake in Antenatal consultation in crisis hit areas,one of which was Wum. This wasn't without challenges as just moving from Bamenda to Wum wasn't a bed of roses especially with the bad roads."

Participants At The Workshop 

After the training exercise, participants are expected to escalate sensitization campaigns on the need to prioritize, and take Preconception Care seriously.

Facilitators at the training workshop included Dr. Ombaku Kingsley, Obstetrician/ Gynecologist, and Dr. Kan Kate, Pediatrician, Regional Hospital Bamenda.

Dr. Ambe Lionel, Focal person for SRH, North West Region represented the North West Regional Delegate of Public Health, Dr. Kingsley Che Soh.

Background Information On  The Talk Pregnancy With Dr Noella Initiative 

Talk Pregnancy with Dr Noella (TPWDN) is a non-profit organization based in the North West region of Cameroon. Their aim is to improve the health of mothers and newborns, and improve on the sexual and reproductive health rights of adolescents, thus decreasing maternal and neonatal mortality.

 This is achieved by working with the government, private sectors, civil society and community agents to ensure early and equal access to reproductive services during pregnancy especially among the marginalized population.

 TPWDN believes that every woman has the right to accurate information needed before, during and after pregnancy, therefore we aim to educate women and empower them with knowledge on preconception care, proper pregnancy follow up and right choses of family methods. 

This will make them plan and enjoy their pregnancy journey. In a long term we seek to ensure the establishment of preconception centers where couples can visit and know all what it entails before, during and after pregnancy in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy and family in a long run. Our main focus is on women, newborn and adolescents.

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