global challenge: improve maternal health

Photo: Maria Porter

What is "maternal health?"

Maternal health is the medical care, nutrition and well-being of women before, during, and after they are pregnant and give birth. In the United States, many women see a doctor or health care practitioner several times before the baby is born. The vast majority of women in the U.S. give birth in hospitals with extremely advanced medical care. Others give birth at home, equipped with essential health-care advice from a doula or midwife.

In much of the world, women rarely — if ever — see a doctor or other health care practitioner during or after pregnancy. Because they do not have access to proper nutrition or medical advice, the rate of maternal death (during or just after birth) is enormous in the developing world. In North America, 1 in 3700 women dies giving birth. In Africa, 1 in 16 women die giving birth.

Ensuring the health of a mother significantly improves the health of her family.

 

Are maternal deaths preventable?

We know how to prevent most maternal deaths through basic health care and information.

 

Basic antenatal (before birth), delivery (during birth), and postpartum (after birth) care costs about $2 per person.

Almost all maternal deaths are preventable given a few simple things:
1. Timely emergency obstetric care for women who develop complications;
2. Skilled attendance at the birth; and
3. Meeting the unmet demand for birth control.

No mother should die giving life. – Written on a banner for women’s health in Delhi.

Every minute around the world...

• 380 women become pregnant.
• 190 face an unplanned pregnancy.
• 110 experience pregnancy-related complications.
• 1 woman dies from pregnancy-related complications or in delivery.

Photo: Maria Porter

Where can I learn more?

Check out The Hesperian Foundation where $15 provides a health care book that serves an entire village. A Book for Midwives: Care for Pregnancy, Birth, and Women’s Health is written for health care workers with limited resources.

What can we do?

If you're a high school student interested in starting a Global Action Club at your school addressing maternal health contact us.

Pregnancy is a normal, life-affirming state. Women should not die giving birth. Their deaths are preventable, even in the poorest countries. But it takes local knowledge, strength and partnership to ensure women’s lives are saved. — Joy Phumaphi, World Health Organization