Help mothers survive childbirth

Does the idea of joining the global community to help more mothers survive childbirth sound interesting?

Explore this goal more here …

[bgsection pex_attr_title=”What's the problem?” pex_attr_subtitle=”” pex_attr_undefined=”undefined” pex_attr_style=”section-light-bg” pex_attr_bgcolor=”f7f7f7″ pex_attr_image=”” pex_attr_imageopacity=”0.5″ pex_attr_bgimagestyle=”static” pex_attr_titlecolor=”252525″ pex_attr_textcolor=”373737″ pex_attr_height=””]What is maternal death?
If a woman who is pregnant dies or within a short period of time (42 days) of having ended their pregnancy, this is considered a ‘maternal death’.
Even though over the past 25 years, almost half the number of women are dying while pregnant, 800 die every day. By the time you have finished reading this section one woman will have died and up to 30 will have suffered long term injuries as a result of being pregnant or giving birth. Most of these deaths and injuries are entirely preventable.

What causes maternal deaths?
Most of the time, areas where there are high rates of maternal deaths do not have doctors and nurses with the right skills to deal with complications of pregnancy and childbirth. A complication can occur while giving birth such as losing a lot of blood or the baby getting stuck while being born. Or they can be caused by other illnesses a woman may have, such as problems with her heart, being HIV positive, high blood pressure, etc. If a mother decides to have an abortion (ending her pregnancy early), if this isn’t done safely it can lead to severe problems and sometimes the woman can die. Often with the right knowledge and expertise these do not need to lead to death or long term injury.

People who live in poor countries where they can’t access good health care and support during pregnancy and who are more likely to have other diseases are much more likely to die than those who live in wealthier countries. This is also true for maternal deaths – 4 out of every 5 maternal deaths occur in Africa and South Asia!

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[bgsection pex_attr_title=”What’s being done about it?” pex_attr_subtitle=”” pex_attr_undefined=”undefined” pex_attr_style=”section-light2″ pex_attr_bgcolor=”EDF5F7″ pex_attr_image=”” pex_attr_imageopacity=”0.5″ pex_attr_bgimagestyle=”static” pex_attr_titlecolor=”252525″ pex_attr_textcolor=”777777″ pex_attr_height=””]There has been a lot of work all around the world to reduce the number of maternal deaths. This has included improving the sills, expertise and resources in poorer countries. Educating women who are thinking of having a family about the dangers of pregnancy and what to do about it and making sure governments are doing all they can to prevent unnecessary deaths. And there is some good news – across the world the number of maternal deaths are decreasing!

Here are some organisations and people who are currently working on this issue

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[bgsection pex_attr_title=”Discover and explore more” pex_attr_subtitle=”” pex_attr_undefined=”undefined” pex_attr_style=”section-dark-bg” pex_attr_bgcolor=”3ca4cf” pex_attr_image=”” pex_attr_imageopacity=”0.5″ pex_attr_bgimagestyle=”static” pex_attr_titlecolor=”ffffff” pex_attr_textcolor=”ffffff” pex_attr_height=””]The team at This Better Work can help you figure out if this might be something you want to get involved with – now and in the future.

Discover

More about the health community and some of the global health causes worth getting involved with
More about how you may find working in this area meaningful and rewarding

Explore

More information about this global challenge and what’s being done about it
The kinds of further training and study you may need to work in this area

Connect

With people and organisations that are working in this area
Our field champion who can show you more …

Experience

We can help you find ways to see if this is really something you’d like to get into – through community service projects, volunteer opportunities, job shadow placements, science expo projects, even a gap-year placement

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