By The PPH Foundation

Postpartum haemorrhage does not begin in a hospital; it begins in households, in expectations, in silence and in communities that do not recognise bleeding after birth as a medical emergency. For years, maternal health was framed as a women’s space, where husbands waited outside the ward and fathers received news second-hand. That model now stands in the way of survival. The growing involvement of men and families is restructuring how postpartum haemorrhage is recognized, discussed and responded to at the moment it matters most.

In many Kenyan homes, decisions on transport, financing and consent are controlled by men. When labour becomes complicated, those decisions determine whether a woman reaches a facility in time to receive oxytocin, blood and emergency care. Men who understand postpartum haemorrhage act faster, challenge delays and refuse cultural hesitation. They insist on referral, they ask questions, they demand accountability. It is a transformation that places the family inside the survival equation.

Across counties, widowers who have lost partners to PPH are becoming advocates. Their testimony reframes the danger in human terms: children left without mothers, young men suddenly navigating grief, households collapsing economically. These emotional accounts carry weight in rural communities, where traditional gender norms are strong, and health messaging from institutions is often viewed with suspicion. When men speak, they normalize urgency.

Dr Kireki Omanwa, President of KOGS and End PPH Initiative Co-Lead, argues that male participation is a structural solution, not a sentimental one. He notes that the PPH Foundation works in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society and the Midwives Association of Kenya. According to him, if men do not understand postpartum haemorrhage, then decisions are delayed, and women die. When fathers, brothers and husbands appreciate the signs of danger, they insist on rapid action. Male involvement is a clinical intervention.

Families are also critical actors in blood availability. Community donation drives depend on husbands, brothers and friends mobilising peers, removing stigma and providing the units needed for transfusion. In places where women cannot donate during pregnancy or after delivery, male donors close the supply gap.

Empowering families, therefore, means demystifying postpartum haemorrhage, training communities to recognise heavy bleeding, and establishing a culture where emergency care is prioritized. When families understand their role, from arranging transport to demanding blood, PPH shifts from a hidden tragedy to a shared responsibility. The survival of women becomes a domestic expectation, not a medical surprise.

Sources
• WHO technical guidance on postpartum haemorrhage prevention and response
• KOGS commentary on family involvement in RMNCAH