Social Characterization of Morbidities and Complications Related to Maternity: Case of the Baoule-Oualebo of Sakassou

The study is concerned with the problem of the simultaneous use of traditional and modern medical cares displayed by Ivorian women during childbearing. The issue is to know the reason why childbearers practice traditional care in order to make use of it during the decision making. For that reason, it has been necessary to conduct a qualitative approach to collect data from professional and experienced women in the domain of traditional prenatal care in Sakassou, the community of the Baoule-oualèbo. The results have shown that: -The Baoulé-oualèbo come across several morbidities and complications related to childbearing and childbirth. -To the morbidities and risks of complications are attributed significant customary meanings. -Referring to their custom and beliefs, not only transgressing prohibitions (food, gestures, clothing and myths) but also the physical of the childbearer account for the morbidities and risks of complications. The transgression and the physical are the reasons of the use of traditional care composed of plants and observances. It rises that the meanings and significations given to morbidities and risks of complications on the basis of ethnological, mythical and spiritual contexts are contradictory to that of the medical sciences based on the physiological dimension. Therefore, they constitute obstacles to the orientations and expectations of the modern therapeutic. It is therefore necessary to take into account the traditional perception of morbidities and risks of complications of childbirth in communication for social change of behaviours in order to bring the Baoulé-oualèbo to be aware of the danger.