This brochure provides information to mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of their babies lives. The pamphlet also answers to some of the tricky questions about breastfeeding. >
Women and girls whose menstrual periods are one or more weeks late are advised to have a pregnancy test. These tests are free at primary health clinics and other health facilities. However, they are not always available. Pregnancy testing kits can be bought at a ... >
Pregnant girls and women are referred to maternity services or Midwife Obstetric Units (MOUs) in urban areas, and satellite or fixed clinics in the rural areas. MOUs are birthing units run by midwives in the community for primary health care patients. It's advisable for expectant ... >
Mothers can deliver at fixed clinics or Midwife Obstetric units, which are run by midwives in the community for primary health care patients. If complications arise during birth then they will be transferred to a hospital up the line. Mothers who are HIV positive can ... >
Post natal services become available after the mother and her newborn have been discharged from the MOU or clinic. This usually happens six hours after the birth if both mother and baby are in good health. >
It is estimated that 150 000 children born annually in South Africa are affected by a significant birth defect or genetic disorder by the age of five years. >
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is the most common preventable form of intellectual disability in the world and yet it is a serious public health problem in the Western Cape. >
Mother to child transmission happens when HIV, the virus that causes Aids, is passed from a mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy, during birth or during breastfeeding. >
The content on this page was last updated on 8 May 2008
Cape Gateway is a government service aimed primarily at citizens of the Western Cape, providing information on local, provincial and national government