Childbirth is an amazing and beautiful experience, but for some mothers, it’s a choice between life and death.
The sound of her first cry, her little head rested on my arm, and the strong rhythm of her heartbeat overwhelmed me with emotion. I had not fully comprehended what it meant to be a mother, to feel the love a mother feels for her child until that moment. I can say with absolute certainty that it was the greatest moment I have ever experienced. Whether you are a mother yourself or have simply heard the story of your birth from your own mother, we all know how blessed a mother feels when she brings her child into the world. Boy or girl, all a mother wants is for herself and her child to be healthy and safe.
Pregnancy and childbirth in developed countries are generally safe and straightforward. If complications do arise they are dealt with quickly and hopefully have no long-term repercussions. The reality in some developing countries is very different. Almost 600,000 women die every year due to pregnancy or childbirth-related issues, according to a report published by The Royal Society of Medicine. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) estimated in 2015 that women in some developing countries were dying every minute due to childbirth. It’s heartbreaking to think that with how far medicine has advanced in woman’s health the world is still losing so many women and children in ways that could have been prevented. So why do they find themselves in this situation and what is being done to address this?
The world health organization (WHO) and the UNICEF have done extensive research into the direct and indirect causes that affect women in developing countries across the world either pre, during or post childbirth. There are indirect reasons that can be existing illnesses in the mothers like HIV/Aids, Malaria, hepatitis and tuberculosis that threaten a pregnancy or delivery. However, the direct causes of complications during childbirth, hemorrhage or infections, issues easily dealt with in developed countries, cause 80% of maternal deaths. If there was access to cleaner clinics, better equipment and experienced medical professionals, the necessities in our world for any delivery, these women and their babies could have survived. Childcare education is also a big factor, some of the women that do survive have no idea how to provide for their children and don’t know where or who to turn to for help.
8 million babies die because of these factors and others in just the first week of their life. It’s truly devastating.
The question that haunted me while doing all this research was, what is being done to help these women? I was glad to find many dedicated organizations and individuals that are doing everything in their power to change this reality and bring down all these shocking numbers. UNICEF has dedicated resources to provide medicine and resources to women in need as well as education programs on being new mothers. The Care organization has a dedicated maternal health care program that is focused on providing coverage to quality healthcare and pushing for better policies to address maternal health. The Every Mother Counts organization is doing a range of programs for on the ground support in developing countries and they provide a simple and easy way for people to donate. They have the option of donating directly or you can shop a range of products their partners offer.
The list goes on, which is great news because these women and babies need all the help they can get. Any act of kindness or awareness spread about this situation could help save the life of a mother and a baby somewhere.
Bringing a life into the world is a blessing. It should be a beautiful and happy occasion and I hope that one day all mothers everywhere in the world can bring their child into the world safe, healthy and happy.
References
Care Organization. (2017). Maternal health. Retrieved from Care: https://www.care.org/work/health/maternal-health
Every Mother Counts. (n.d.). Get involved. Retrieved from Every Mother Counts: https://www.everymothercounts.org/pages/get-involved
Lewis, G. (2008, September 1). Maternal mortality in the developing world: why do mothers really die? Obstetric Medicine, The Royal Society of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5010106/.
UNICEF. (n.d.). Improve Maternal Health. Retrieved from UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/mdg/maternal.html
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