Beliefs and Practices During Antenatal and Postnatal Period Among the Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh |Biomedgrid

Bangladesh, one of the affected countries with refugee, faces the challenge to provide health care especially maternal care to the host communities. This paper presents maternal care related thoughts and practices in the host communities in Ukhia of Cox's Bazar. We collected data using mixed method approach including a cross-sectional survey and semi-structure interviews. Using a probability sample, we selected mothers with infants (n=588) living in the host communities of Ukhia sub-district. We also conducted forty-two in-depth semi-structured interviews among the currently pregnant women who had also previously given births (n =21); and recently delivered women (n = 21). The survey found one quarter of the recently delivered women received at least four antenatal care visits and 28 percent women received at least one postnatal care visit. Seventy four percent of deliveries took place at home and 71 percent of the deliveries were assisted by untrained traditional birth attendants. The women mostly relied on their mother in law for information and support.