RIAMA midwives take social media by storm

An interview with Sandra Barahona

Midwife Sandra Barahona, 28, entered and won a competition, run by the RIAMA network of midwives in Peru, a network supported by the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition’s regional forum, ForoLAC. The competition was about using social media for sexual and reproductive health advocacy. Sandra shares safe sex and sexual and reproductive health messages (SRH) with her 112,000 TikTok followers. ForoLAC Regional Advisor Milka Dinev catches up with her.

What made you go into midwifery as a career?

I was originally going to opt for medicine, but I discovered that midwifery was the perfect fit: there are so many fields within that career choice. I went to Alas Peruanas University, studied 11 semesters, and then did the one-year service component, SERUMS.

What are the rewards?

I worked in public and private hospitals before opening my practice and there were too many rules and constraints. It is very rewarding to work with my greatest ally — my husband Danyz Flores — who helps me with all my digital needs, as he is an audio-visual communicator.

I work in the district of Carabayllo physically, but am recognized way beyond, as everybody knows me on social media. I also get to break down myths; we are surrounded by too many myths and taboos around SRH.

What are the challenges?

Sometimes our worst critics are physicians and nurses; there are professional conflicts with OB-GYNs and nurses as they claim we are encroaching on their territory. We are accused of professional intrusion. I have seen a strong rivalry between medical professions.

What made you enter this competition?

As soon as the competition was launched, everyone started tagging me on Facebook, calling me the Queen of TikTok and pushing me to enter.

Have you always been musical?

During this pandemic being creative has not been easy. I have had to find the right words for my lyrics and scripts. I basically promote the use of condoms among men in several videos, and I won the competition with one of those videos. I have always loved music and dancing; my mother was my biggest cheerleader and loved my music; she passed away a month ago.

What gap were you hoping to fill?

I used to work in public schools providing sex education as a volunteer counselor; the questions covered were so basic. The young people knew nothing of STIs, nothing about contraceptives… we would be scheduled for one hour , but end up talking for more than 3 hours. Teachers just don’t have as much knowledge as we do on these subjects; we even got invited to PTA meetings.

How did you feel when you won?

I was really happy and excited. I received a prize of $100 and a diploma.

Did your clients recognize you?

Most of my patients come to see me from faraway places because they met me on TikTok; they recognize me through my videos and they travel through traffic for more than an hour each time to see me. The boyfriends and husbands who drive them sometimes get upset. But then they see my videos and they also come to the consultation.

Were you judged by conservative opinions around you?

My family is very supportive as are my friends but I have had some haters on social media; physicians and nurses have been judgmental online. I also receive porn images from haters; I block them, and so do my followers.

Why do you think you have such a huge following?

80% of my followers are women, and I really try to empower them. I am very responsive to my followers; I respond to their messages even if I go to bed super late.

What other plans do you have in the future?

I would like to start an Obstetric Center. I have a small practice, but I would love to create a big Center/Clinic.

Has there been a positive impact in sales for products?

I work with RIAMA and I am always in contact with the sales representative of RIAMA. I charge a “social cost” for contraceptives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I did not work the initial 2 months, but my service has increased enormously as people do not want to go to the hospitals — my private practice has been open 7 days per week. My sales increased by 100% — people saw me on social media and they were encouraged to come visit me in person. They see me as a normal person who is very professional at her work. Lately I have inserted many copper and silver IUDs; people are scared of this method as there are many myths, which I work hard to dispel. I provide good counselling around it and offer 6 free months of virtual counseling when people buy their contraceptives from me. I get lots of referrals because of this. I give them a phone number on which they can call me at any time.