Myleene Klass met vulnerable pregnant women and healthcare staff during a visit to the Colombia border, saying she was ‘blown away’ by the lack of safety surrounding maternal health support.
The health advocate, 46, travelled to an emergency health unit in the La Guajira region, set up by charity Save The Children, of which she is a proud ambassador.
While in the country, the winner of I’m a Celebrity… South Africa threw herself into the activities, modelling a nursing vest and doting over the adorable newborn babies.
She said of the trip: ‘As a mother I just cannot comprehend how pregnant women, so many pregnant women every week, are having to put themselves in danger, travelling for days, just to get the maternal and newborn healthcare they vitally need.
‘I’ve been blown away by the care and compassion of the healthcare staff at the Save the Children’s emergency health unit in Colombia, who are working tirelessly to ensure the mothers are supported and their children are born safely into the world.’
Save the Children ambassador Myleene Klass donned a nursing vest as she visited a breastfeeding clinic in Colombia on a mission to spread maternal education
Myleene met vulnerable pregnant women and healthcare staff during a visit to the Colombia border, saying she was ‘blown away’ by the lack of safety surrounding maternal health support
She continued: ‘The mums I’ve met are all striving to provide the best for their children, despite the circumstances they have come from.
‘I think the thing that binds us – the commonality that we all have as mums – is we just want the absolute best for our children.
‘No woman should have to give birth alone and risk losing their baby or their life – it’s shocking and totally unacceptable.’
She added: ‘There is both a strength and fragility when it comes to giving birth. But what should be a sacred, nurturing time for most women is often an isolated, terrifying one.
‘To see a hammock next to a ‘western’ bed with stirrups in this hospital was inspiring – knowing that the women from different communities who come here are thoroughly nurtured and cared for.
‘The support of midwives and health workers here is so important and the passion they have for their patients shines through.
‘When you’re a mum irrespective of language barriers and jobs and situation you deserve to speak the same language – that’s the one of motherhood.’
Joining the emergency unit in a bid to provide women with the vital support they need to give birth safely, she has also met hard-working midwives.
Myleene said: ‘As a mother I just cannot comprehend how pregnant women, so many pregnant women every week, are having to put themselves in danger’
Opening up about one of the many brave women she had the chance to meet during her visit, she said: ‘Making this journey is hard enough but thinking that mothers do this whilst pregnant is utterly heartbreaking’
Myleene has been an advocate for women’s health for long time juggling different awareness campaigns, and has been a proud Save The Children ambassador for over 10 years
Ahead of International Day of the Midwife on May 5, Myleene spoke to a team of midwives who run outreach programmes to local communities in order to provide antenatal check-ups and maternal education.
The former Hear’Say singer said she visited a young pregnant woman who had to travel for two days, surviving only on water, so that she could access the healthcare she needed for her baby.
Opening up about one of the many brave women she had the chance to meet during her visit, she said: ‘Making this journey is hard enough but thinking that mothers do this whilst pregnant is utterly heartbreaking.
‘Living here, not having your family around you – she lives in a very vulnerable environment and is being so strong.’
La Pista – meaning Runaway – which the star referred to, is so-called due to its location at a disused airport in the city of Maicao.
The camp is home to over 14,000 people, many of them people on the move.
There, Myleene witnessed accounts of the difficulties mothers faced getting to Colombia and how local midwives, trained by Save the Children, had provided a lifeline of support when they needed it most.
During her visit, the former singer was captured in a series of very heart-felt moment from holding a newborn baby in her arms, to visiting women in a local breastfeeding clinic.
The former model went on explaining: ‘The shining light in this situation is the care and support of the maternal healthcare workers, visiting the camp each week to give women like Maria the ante-natal check-ups they need to keep safe during pregnancy, and educating them on how to care for their newborns.
‘I even got to take part in one of the breastfeeding clinics, which brought it all back to me from when I had my babies.
‘It’s so humbling to see how this support is helping children not just survive but thrive, and delivering lasting change for them and their families.’
Myleene has been an advocate for women’s health for long time juggling different awareness campaigns, and has been a proud Save The Children ambassador for over 10 years.
She also spent four years campaigning for Government change regarding miscarriage care, having suffered four herself.
Last year, following her efforts, the Department of Health and Social Care announced a package of new measures to ‘boost the health and wellbeing of women and girls’, including a pilot scheme that will see medical intervention for women after every miscarriage.
The star also spent four years campaigning for Government change regarding miscarriage care, having suffered four herself (pictured with Labour MP Olivia Blake)
Now, the TV personality is fronting the new health campaign Expecting Better, which aims to create lasting change for children around the world and for women everywhere to be able to expect better maternal healthcare for themselves and their baby.
Myleene’s visit comes as new analysis from the charity found that, globally, 24 million women will give birth this year without the support of a doctor, midwife or nurse – that’s 46 births every minute, making mothers and children more vulnerable than ever.
The findings show how during times of conflict, climate-related disasters and humanitarian emergencies, the availability of maternal healthcare diminishes significantly.
To find out more about how Save the Children is helping children and their families please visit www.savethechildren.org.uk.