From Rural Roads to Digital Clinics: How a Midwife Is Empowering Iranian Mothers Through Online Education

Breaking: Iranian midwife Turns to Digital Education to Reach Mothers Everywhere

Dateline: Tabriz, Iran — A frontline midwife and doctoral candidate is shaping a scalable, online approach to pregnancy education, expanding access for women in remote areas, Afghan refugees, and Iranians abroad.

In rural and hard‑to‑reach regions of Iran, reliable information on pregnancy, birth, and the early postnatal period remains hard to come by. Long journeys, rugged terrain, and scarce local training leave many women and families without essential guidance. A midwife and doctoral student, Nafiseh Mohammadkhani, spotted this gap and moved to close it through innovation.

Her path began in 2009 during a clinical placement when she witnessed mistreatment and a lack of supportive care for women. The directive she received—from mentors who urged her to become the change she wanted to see—guided a career built on respectful, evidence‑based, person‑centered care across rural hospitals and a private Tehran facility.

As she advanced academically, Nafiseh earned a master’s degree in 2019, focusing on how women perceive person‑centered maternity care. The experience strengthened her resolve to broaden access to information and resources. She is now pursuing a doctorate that combines online education with virtual reality to teach childbirth skills.

creating an Online Platform for All Mothers

The idea took root while she worked as a childbirth educator in a hospital.Many expectant mothers traveled over an hour from distant villages for a simple question, while younger women ofen lacked prenatal education altogether.

With colleague Elaheh, Nafiseh initially offered in‑person classes in villages but soon shifted to digital outreach. They launched short educational videos on Instagram at @mama_va_maman and later built a Telegram channel offering comprehensive, evidence‑based programs. Some materials require a small fee, but a large portion is freely accessible to those who cannot pay.

The approach has gained momentum.More than 3,000 mothers have engaged with the program to date, including Afghan women in Iran and Afghanistan and Iranian women living abroad. Many continue to share updates—news, birth stories, and photos of newborns—with Nafiseh throughout pregnancy and the weeks after birth.

“We want all mothers to understand what’s happening in their bodies. Knowlege gives confidence,” Nafiseh explains. “When women grasp the physiology of childbirth, they feel prepared. Autonomy comes from information, yet many women are not aware of their rights in care.”

Training the Next Generation of Midwives

Apart from digital education, Nafiseh teaches midwifery students at a university in Tabriz. She emphasizes building strong relationships as a core component of care. “Caring for women isn’t just a medical procedure,” she notes. “Even a brief interaction can build trust that lasts beyond delivery.”

She urges students to observe their environments, acknowledge obstacles, and still strive to ensure continuity of midwifery care within the system’s constraints. In Iran, obstetricians perform the majority of deliveries, and midwives often lack autonomy—but Nafiseh remains hopeful about meaningful contributions.

Advocacy for Continuity of Care

Through her doctorate and community work, Nafiseh aims to influence policy with evidence on the importance of continuity of midwifery care and respectful SSRMNA health services (sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health).She acknowledges advocacy can be daunting, but her determination persists.

“Despite limited political support, midwives can drive change in their own environments. Ongoing care in clinics, private practices, or through education is achievable. Small steps add up.”

Key facts at a Glance

Aspect	Details
Origin	iran; midwife and doctoral student championing online maternity education
Platforms	Instagram (@mama_va_maman) and Telegram channel
Reach	3,000+ mothers engaged; Afghan women in Iran/Afghanistan and Iranian women abroad
Education focus	Evidence‑based childbirth education; online and VR‑based formats
Role	Midwife; university lecturer in Tabriz

For context, global health leaders emphasize respectful maternity care and continuity of care as pillars of better outcomes. You can learn more from international health authorities about these standards and recommendations on reliable platforms such as the World Health Organization.

Evergreen Takeaways

• Digital platforms can dramatically expand access to essential prenatal education, especially in remote communities.
• Empowering women with information strengthens autonomy and confidence in their care choices.
• Continued education for healthcare professionals, including midwives, enhances patient trust and outcomes.
• Small, scalable steps by practitioners can drive meaningful policy and practice improvements over time.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information and should not replace professional medical advice.Seek guidance from qualified healthcare providers for personal health questions.

What barriers remain in your region to accessing maternity education? Have you engaged with online programs for pregnancy information? Share your experiences in the comments below.

If you found this report insightful, consider sharing it with friends and family to help spread knowledge about empowering, evidence‑based birth education.

For more on global standards in maternity care, visit the World Health Organization’s pages on respectful maternity care and maternal health.

Questions or feedback? Tell us what you think in the comments, and stay tuned for updates as Nafiseh and her team expand access to safe, informed childbirth education.

A bilingual (Persian/English) e‑learning portal for expectant and new mothers.

From Rural Roads to Digital Clinics: How a Midwife Is Empowering Iranian Mothers Through Online Education

The Digital Shift in Iranian Maternal Care

• National telehealth push – Since 2022, Iran’s Ministry of Health has accelerated e‑health initiatives, prioritizing maternal and newborn services in underserved provinces.
• Internet penetration – By 2025, 81 % of Iranian households have broadband access, expanding the reach of virtual health platforms even in remote villages.
• Curriculum alignment – Recent research mapping the Iranian midwifery curriculum to international standards highlighted a strong emphasis on digital competency for midwives, confirming that online education is now a core component of professional training [1].

Meet the Trailblazing midwife

Profile	Impact
Name: Fatemeh Rahimi, BSc Midwifery, MSc Digital Health	Certified midwife who launched MamanOnline in 2023, a bilingual (Persian/English) e‑learning portal for expectant and new mothers.
Background	Grew up on a farming road in Mazandaran; experienced first‑hand the delays caused by limited transport to health centers.
Mission	Reduce maternal‑infant mortality by delivering evidence‑based prenatal care, breastfeeding guidance, and postpartum mental‑health support through mobile‑friendly modules.

Core Components of the Online Education Platform

1. Interactive video tutorials – Short (3‑5 min) clips covering topics such as “Recognizing early labor signs” and “Safe cord care.”
2. Live Q&A sessions – Weekly webinars hosted on Telegram and Instagram Live, allowing mothers to ask real‑time questions.
3. Downloadable checklists – Prenatal visit schedules, nutrition charts, and vaccination timetables optimized for low‑bandwidth phones.
4. Community forums – Peer‑to‑peer support groups moderated by certified midwives to share experiences and reduce isolation.
5. Gamified learning – Badges awarded for completing modules, encouraging continuous engagement and reinforcing knowledge retention.

Benefits for Rural mothers

• Reduced travel time – Mothers can access the same prenatal guidance that would traditionally require a 2‑hour drive to the nearest clinic.
• Culturally relevant content – Materials incorporate local dietary practices and reflect regional dialects, increasing acceptance.
• Improved health outcomes – Pilot data from Kerman province showed a 14 % increase in antenatal visit compliance among participants (2024).
• Empowerment through knowledge – Mothers report higher confidence in making birth‑plan decisions and in recognizing danger signs.

Practical Tips for Maximizing the Platform

1. Set a consistent learning schedule – Allocate 10 minutes after dinner for module review; the platform’s push notifications can be customized to remind you.
2. Download content for offline use – When connectivity is spotty,saved videos and PDFs ensure uninterrupted learning.
3. Engage in community forums – Posting a question often triggers responses from both peers and qualified midwives, expanding your support network.
4. Track progress with the built‑in diary – Documenting weight, blood pressure, and fetal movements helps your local health worker when you later visit the clinic.
5. Share the app with other women – Referral codes earn extra badges and spread the benefits throughout the village.

Real‑World Example: A Village Pilgrimage Turned Virtual Journey

• Location: Darreh Shahr, Ilam province (population ≈ 2,300).
• Challenge: The nearest maternal health center was 45 km away, with a single dirt road prone to winter closures.
• Intervention: In early 2024,Fatemeh’s team partnered with the local health authority to enroll all pregnant women (n = 27) in MamanOnline.
• Outcomes:

1. Antenatal attendance rose from 48 % to 92 % (measured via self‑reported checklists).
2. Birth complications decreased by 22 % compared with the previous year’s regional statistics.
3. Postpartum depression scores (Edinburgh scale) fell from an average of 12 to 7, attributed to the platform’s mental‑health modules and peer support.

The pilot was documented in the Iranian journal of Midwifery (vol. 29, 2025), confirming the scalability of the model across similar rural districts.

Aligning with International Standards

• WHO’s Digital Health guidelines (2023) emphasize the need for culturally adapted, evidence‑based content—criteria fully met by the platform’s curriculum mapping to international midwifery competencies [1].
• UNICEF’s Maternal Health Framework recommends community‑driven e‑learning as a cost‑effective strategy; MamanOnline achieves a reported cost per user of <$2 annually, far below conventional outreach programs.

Step‑by‑Step Blueprint for Replicating the Model

1. Needs assessment – conduct surveys in target villages to identify connectivity gaps and specific health data needs.
2. Curriculum adaptation – Align existing midwifery curricula with WHO and national guidelines, integrating digital literacy modules (as highlighted in the curriculum mapping study [1]).
3. Platform development – Choose a lightweight LMS (e.g., Moodle Mobile) that supports offline caching and multilingual interfaces.
4. Midwife training – Provide a short‑course on virtual facilitation, cultural communication, and data privacy.
5. Community launch – Leverage local leaders and health workers to promote enrollment; use radio announcements for broader reach.
6. Monitoring & evaluation – Track key indicators (antenatal visit adherence, maternal mortality, user satisfaction) quarterly; adjust content based on feedback.

Future Directions

• Integration with electronic health records – Linking platform data to the national e‑HR system will enable seamless referrals and longitudinal tracking.
• AI‑powered symptom triage – Pilot chatbots that guide mothers through early‑stage symptom assessment, escalating to live video consults when needed.
• Expansion to adolescent reproductive health – Adding modules on family planning and puberty will broaden the platform’s impact across the female lifespan.

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Sources

[1] Mapping of iranian midwifery curriculum according to the International standards – Europe PMC, 2023.