HOME BIRTH: state of play, perceptions and practices

Maternal and child health is a major concern in all countries of the world and requires intensified measures to preserve it. Benin is no exception to this, even if efforts are being made to improve the provision of skilled birth attendants. The aim of this study is to describe the current situation in the Garou Tédji and Garou Centre districts, and to analyse their perceptions and practices with regard to home births, with a view to proposing solutions that could remedy the situation. Our analysis shows that the majority of respondents have a good knowledge of the complications of AAD for the mother (80.8%), but a poor knowledge of these complications for the child (96.8%). This alters their overall knowledge (85.6%) of the complications of DAA in both (mother and child). All the respondents were able to give a correct definition of a DAA and most of them thought that it was a good thing to do DAAs and that it was part of their tradition and custom.