Background: The death of women during pregnancy or childbirth period remains a major problem in developing
countries. Ethiopia has higher maternal mortality than other developing countries and its high rate is remaining steady.
Objective: To identify the perceptions of women about pregnancy and childbirth and their perceived serious
maternal and newborn health problems in North Ethiopia.
Methods: A total of 1,216 women aged 15-49 years in Tigray, Ethiopia participated in this community-based study.
Data were collected using a structured questionnaire through interviews. The t-test and analysis of variance were used
for data analysis.
Results: The mean age of the women was 32.56 years, and they had an average of 3.89 children. Whereas
almost all of them perceived women to have authority in birth planning and health facility visits for antenatal care
and childbirth, about a third did not perceive roles for fathers in childbirth and child care. They also showed limited
perceptions of serious health problems in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and newborn care. Women’s perceptions
of health problems during pregnancy differed significantly by having a husband.
Conclusion: Our study findings suggest the need for community-based health education for women in North
Ethiopia to increase their perceptions of maternal health and newborn care. We also recommend empowering women
to maintain perinatal health and encouraging fathers to be actively involved in child care.