With labor and delivery in the United States seemingly so safe, it is difficult to imagine that nearly 530,000 women in developing countries die each year from pregnancy related causes; that is 1,400 women a year, one woman every sixty seconds.

Recent stories from around the world not only tell the plight of many of these women, but illustrate what little it would take to save their lives and that of their newborns.

Save the Children released a new report, which “…presents a bleak look at the challenges pregnant women and newborns face in impoverished countries, where up to 99 percent of deaths occur illustrating the wide gap between rich and poor nations.”  The report estimates that about 4 million babies die within a month and 2 million of those children will die within 24 hours after their birth.  However, simple measures such as proper care of newborns, better education, and prenatal services could help reduce infant mortality around the world by up to 70%.

Intertwined in addressing issues of maternal mortality are cultural barriers.  "It is generally considered as taboo in the community for men to treat women, especially during pregnancy."  Yet, it is difficult in many of these countries to find a female provider.  One solution could be midwives.  According to UNFPA, “recruiting midwives, especially in developing countries, would save the lives of 5 million women…by 2015.”

And the need for more midwives in developing countries is rapidly increasing.  At a recent UNFPA-sponsored conference, the shortage was highlighted.  As an example, the African country of Malawi “only has 4000 midwives against a child bearing population of 2.7 million women.”  The result of such a shortage means unattended births and lack of proper care for both women and newborns. 

To learn more about maternal mortality visit Rewire’s On the Issues, the Safe Motherhood Initiative  and Making Pregnancy Safer Initiative