| "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules | | | | were 20, and for developing regions 440. The worst |
| the world". | | | | countries were: Sierra Leone (2,000), Afghanistan |
| This is a famous poem from William Ross Wallace | | | | (1,900), Malawi (1,800), Angola(1,700), Niger (1,600), |
| which praises motherhood as the preeminent force to | | | | Tanzania (1,500), Rwanda (1,400), Mali (1,200), Somalia, |
| change the world. But will this ever happen when | | | | Zimbabwe, Chad, Central African Republic, Guinea |
| death strikes right at birth? How can a mother ever | | | | Bissau (1,100 each), Kenya, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, |
| rock her child when she dies even before she could | | | | Burundi, and Mauritania (1,000 each). |
| even hear her baby cry? This may sound rhetoric, on | | | | Known Causes |
| the contrary, maternal mortality is indeed a serious | | | | Medical practitioners have specified the major causes |
| problem the medical world especially in developing | | | | of maternal death and the top culprit is severe bleeding |
| countries are beset. | | | | hemorrhage which is 25%. This is followed by |
| The World Health Organization (WHO) defines | | | | infections (13%), eclampsia (12%), and obstructed labor |
| maternal death as the death of a woman while | | | | (8%). The report likewise indicated that 20% of |
| pregnant or within 42 days of termination of | | | | maternal deaths are due to other indirect causes such |
| pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the | | | | as malaria, anemia, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular |
| pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated | | | | disease, complicate pregnancy or are aggravated by it. |
| by the pregnancy or its management but not from | | | | Clear outlook |
| accidental or incidental causes. | | | | Despite the gravity of the problem, medical |
| Generally, maternal death is distinguished between | | | | practitioners assured that at least half of all maternal |
| direct and indirect. Direct maternal death is the result of | | | | deaths can be averted through a combined strategy |
| a complication of the pregnancy, delivery, or their | | | | of family planning, primary health care and legal |
| management while indirect maternal death is a | | | | abortion. Researchers also concluded that a fertility |
| pregnancy-related death in a patient with a preexisting | | | | rate reduction of 25-35% resulting from more widely |
| or newly developed health problem. However, there | | | | available family planning would also lower maternal |
| are also maternal deaths caused by accident or by | | | | mortality by 1/4. Making abortions legal and safe could |
| domestic violence. But these two are more considered | | | | reduce the toll an additional 20-25%. On the part of the |
| as "other causes" or incidental. | | | | governments, a number of steps have been charted. |
| Beyond Numbers | | | | Among these is to make all pregnancies safer thru |
| In the past, the issue on maternal death has not | | | | increased investments in prenatal health care and |
| received much attention, but because of the alarming | | | | reducing the number of high-risk pregnancies which is |
| incidents reported especially in third world countries | | | | foreseen to prevent another 20-25% of deaths. And |
| during the early part of this century, not only were the | | | | to make everyone, not only medical practitioners but all |
| medical practitioners alarmed but the governments as | | | | concerned individuals aware of the rising maternal |
| well. The United Nations estimated global maternal | | | | mortality, In 1998, WHO designated Safe Motherhood |
| mortality at 529,000, of which less than 1% occurred in | | | | as the focus for World Health Day (April 7), indicating |
| the developed world in the year 2000. Another report | | | | the importance of this issue globally. |
| revealed that there are approximately 27 maternal | | | | And just as Wallace further said in his poem "Woman, |
| deaths per 100,000 live births each year in developed | | | | how divine your mission Here upon our natal sod!" we |
| countries but in developing countries, the average is 18 | | | | must value our women and make them aware of their |
| times higher, at 480 deaths per 100,000 live births. | | | | importance in this world. |
| In 2003, the WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA produced a | | | | There are so many sites devoting the attention to the |
| report with statistics gathered from 2000. The world | | | | promotion of this drug too. is one of the trusted |
| average was 400, the average for developed regions | | | | sources of this product. Visit for more details. |