Pregnancy can be a wonderful and exciting time for women, but it also carries risks for the moms and babies.

In the past year here in the DR, we have been saddened to hear of many women in the area dying from complications during labor or shortly after giving birth. In an effort to help prevent more maternal deaths, we recently hosted a two-day women’s health event at our health center. We want to thank Francine Rollock, DeDe Taverner and Julia MacNeil for their help in making this event a success!

Each of the pregnant women received health screenings, including blood pressure, weight, iron level checks, and ultrasounds.

Each of the pregnant women received health screenings, including blood pressure, weight, iron level checks, and ultrasounds.

During this event, we performed thorough checks of all the pregnant women—including an ultrasound. We also taught them about nutrition, exercises, breastfeeding, pregnancy complications and how to recognize and/or prevent them. Twenty pregnant women attended the event and we plan to meet with them monthly to continue teaching and supporting them. After they give birth and return home, we will visit them in their home to check the mom and baby—making sure they are in good health. We look forward to seeing how God will use this ministry to be a blessing for the women in Sosua. ~Heather Williams Katz

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