Cooperation between the Israel Midwives Organization and MDA
"First Contractions Project - Midwives for Women in Labor"
Even during war, women who go into labor before they manage to get to the delivery room, can safely give birth
In 2023 16,283 pregnant women were evacuated to hospitals. 1,062 of them gave birth with the help from MDA teams in their homes or on their way to the hospital. Out-of-Hospital (OOH) Births present increased risks and in case of birth complications, the women have to be evacuated to the hospital as soon as possible for further treatment. Given this data and in order to optimize the delivery process, The Israel Midwives Organization and Magen David Adom, have embarked on a new project that aims to assist women going into labor. In the initial phase of the project, which is named First Contractions and will begin in the Northern part of Israel, due to the war, The Israel Midwives Organization and MDA are mapping all the northern communities where there are pregnant women, from The Golan Heights all the way to Nahariya, in order to connect between midwives taking part in the project and pregnant women, according to their geographical proximity, so there will be a first response midwife who will be dispatched by MDA in case of a birth in routine and emergent times. Since October 7th, 2023, until July 7th, 2024, Magen David Adom teams have evacuated 359 women in labor from the Western and Northern Galilee, and the Golan Heights.
Within the framework of the cooperation with The Midwives Organization, MDA equipped midwives with the required equipment for safe OOH deliveries, as well as for treating emergency situations in the newborn and the mother. The midwives' information has been uploaded into MDA's Command and Control Systems, allowing for automatic dispatch in case of an emergency.
Two intensive training sessions were held along with The Midwives Organization, where equipment was presented to 37 midwives from the Golan Heights region and the Asher regional communities. During these sessions the midwives received training on using the equipment, as well as the emergency dispatch system regarding deliveries. The project is expected to expand significantly to other regions throughout the country.
The "First Contractions" Project allows pregnant women to get to know midwives in their region. The early acquaintance and preparation for delivery in a "desert island" scenario, helps calm the situation and allows the pregnant woman to deliver her baby supported by a professional midwife, even in extreme circumstances. The entire project is funded by the Jewish Federations of North America, and in full, emotional cooperation with MDA.
Yifat Rubanenko, Chair of The Israel Midwives Organization: "The purpose of midwifery is to be alongside the women in routine and emergent times. The "First Contractions" Project will enable an early acquaintance already from the pregnancy, between the pregnant women who live in the shadow of war and the midwives in the region. This early acquaintance will enable professional and holistic treatment by the midwives, even in the case of birth developing at home and difficulty reaching a medical center. I’m grateful for this cooperation with MDA, thanks to which the midwives from the north have joined MDA's volunteering system, and on any occasion of a birth or a gynecological problem which occurs out-of-hospital, the midwives will be the first on call to assist."
Manager of MDA's First Response Division and Project Manager Yossi Halabi: "There is huge importance to in reducing the response time for a wide range of medical emergency situations in the community. We are happy for the cooperation with The Israel Midwives Organization in a special project giving medical response to pregnant women in situations in which for some reason, for instance a security emergency, natural disaster or extreme weather, there is difficulty in the ambulance's access to them or it isn't possible to evacuate them to the hospital".
Deputy Director General for Medicine, Dr. Raphael Strugo: "A complication in childbirth can end tragically for the woman giving birth and for the newborn, especially when it is an out-of-hospital birth. As in every emergency medical situation - when there is an experienced caregiver on the scene, and in this case an experienced midwife, the event is significantly better run, and that is the basis for this project. The cooperation with The Israel Midwives Organization will enable pregnant women to prepare ahead of time and be in touch with experienced midwives who will arrive together with Magen David Adom teams and even before them in distant locations, so that the best possible response is provided in the case of unplanned births."
MDA Director General, Eli Bin: "Magen David Adom, Israel's national Emergency Rescue Organization, acts every moment in order to be prepared to give the best medical response to the citizens of Israel, in every situation. As a part of lessons learnt from October 7th and the preparation for the war in the north, we have established projects within communities that will help reaching anyone who will need assistance in a time of emergency. One of these projects in the 'Magen' Project, in which citizens with medical training, even basic, group together to be part of the national emergency medical organization and will be dispatched in times of need to give medical assistance in their areas. I am happy to announce today, that together with The Midwives Organization we have established the "First Contractions" Project, beginning in Northern Israel and in areas under threat such as The Golan Heights and communities in The Western Galilee, in which there are daily missile attacks. In MDA, we continue doing everything to be prepared for any scenario. The midwives will double our abilities and will be able to provide a professional medical response before MDA teams arrive. I have no doubt that the joint initiative of The Midwives Organization and MDA will help in bringing new lives safely into the world and will also save the lives of newborns and their mothers."
