Relative risk of birth asphyxia in babies of booked women who deliver in unorthodox health facilities in Calabar, Nigeria

Babies of booked women who delivered in unorthodox health facilities in Calabar, Nigeria were studied. The aims were to determine the relative risk of birth asphyxia in these babies and to find out the management of birth asphyxia in these unorthodox delivery centres. The incidence (14.3%) of birth asphyxia in the study population was significantly higher than the incidence (4.8%) in babies of booked women who delivered in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (P<0.001) with a relative risk of 3.0 (95% C.I.=1.74–5.19). Apart from prolonged labour, the predisposing factors to birth asphyxia in both the study group and control did not show any significant difference (P>0.05). The treatment of birth asphyxia in unorthodox delivery centres consisted mainly of prayers (43.8%) and immersion of the asphyxiated baby in cold water (25%). A birth asphyxia case fatality rate of 20.8% was recorded in these unorthodox delivery facilities but no death in the control population. Appropriately directed antenatal health education on the benefit of delivering under supervision of trained personnel is strongly advocated.