Inside multi-million shilling birth industry

 

Expectant parents. Birthing classes cost between Sh7,000 and Sh20,000. Photo/FILE 

By DOREEN WAINAINAH

In Summary

• Parents are willing to pay thousands of shillings to ease the labour process, including birthing coaches and C-sections.

 

When Millie Muthoni was planning for the birth of her first child, a doula was at the top of her list. She also enrolled for Lamaze classes with a midwife instructor.

Taking a crash course for Lamaze, she spent a discounted Sh5,000 for each of the two, three-hour sessions, as they were two couples in the class.

“I took on a doula because I did not feel like I could trust the doctors to take me through delivery without insisting on a Caesarian Section,” she says.

Her Doula who attended to her through the crucial hours of the birthing process charged her Sh10,000 for the service.

A doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Ms Muthoni is one of the many middle class parents who are taking no chances, and not sparing a cent, in preparation for a smooth delivery of their babies.

On top of the Lamaze classes and birthing coach she spent a total of Sh140,000 at Nairobi Hospital and private clinics, two years-ago.

Similarly, Francisca Wambui was taking no chances with her first child. In her late twenties, birthing classes and a doula were a must for her.

“I weighed my options between a private doctor and a doula. A doula was more readily available,” she says. Her choice of doula like most women was the woman who took her through her birthing class.

New mothers are taking Lamaze classes and other forms of birthing classes to prepare them for their young ones. To add on the cost are the different packages private hospitals offer.

Lucy Muchiri, proprietor of Eve’s Mama, a midwife led service, has been offering home births, doula services as well as birthing classes.

Starting off her private business in 2009, the former nurse has seen a steady increase in the spending of the middle class families on maternal services.

In a month, she takes on five to six mothers-to-be classes, which are done on an individual or group basis interchangeably each month. The classes offer the parents’ insights of the birthing process and how to deal with the first month after delivery.

Like Ms Wambui, some mothers prefer to take the classes in the comfort of their homes for the added privacy and attention. These classes can cost from Sh8,000 onwards, with private and crash courses fetching a higher fee.