Corona baby boom has Indonesians worried
With her husband left jobless by the pandemic, the last thing Indonesian mother Juarsih needed was to get pregnant, but now she is expecting a third child — one of many in the country anxiously preparing for a Covid-fuelled baby boom.
Indonesian authorities believe there could be 400,000 more births than usual next year as lockdowns keep couples at home and cut access to contraception, prompting fears of an increase in abortions and stunting of children in poorer families.
Juarsih, 41, says her birth control ran out as clinics closed or slashed hours and overwhelmed hospitals struggled to keep up with mounting coronavirus infections in the world’s fourth most populous country.
The mother of two teenagers is now too scared of the deadly respiratory disease to risk going out for a pregnancy check-up in her hometown Bandung, on Java island.
“At first I was shocked when I found out that I was pregnant,” she said.
“I started feeling happy later though there’s still some sadness ... I should be grateful but this is happening at a difficult time.”
Contraception use had dropped drastically since the pandemic took hold across the sprawling archipelago in early
March, national population and family planning board head Hasto Wardoyo said.
Health authorities are worried increasing numbers of expectant parents will turn to abortions and push up maternal mortality rates.
“We’re also worried about stunting — not all families can afford proper nutrition,” he said.
With access to hospitals and contraceptives difficult, health authorities have been forced to get creative.
One campaign saw health workers in government vehicles rolling through communities to announce that now was not the time to have a baby.
“You can have sex,” one message blared out as workers trundled through a village.
“You can get married. But don’t get pregnant.
“Dads, please control yourself ... You can have sex as long as you use contraception.”
Birth control was a key plank of a family planning push launched by late dictator Suharto half a century ago.
The programme was later applauded for population control measures that resulted in a big drop in the then developing nation’s fertility rates.
This week, authorities launched a one-day blitz that aimed to give away contraceptives to one-million citizens.
Condoms are not popular in Indonesia, where about 98% of contraceptive users are women, and the methods of choice are mainly hormone injections and birth-control pills.
The family planning agency also enlisted the help of celebrities with huge social media followings to get the word out to the country’s nearly 270-million people.