Introduction
Maternal and newborn health continues to be a major global health concern. Far too many mothers and babies face serious complications and even death from preventable causes. This article will examine some of the key challenges around maternal and newborn mortality, the progress being made, and what still needs to be done to protect the health of this vulnerable population.
The Current Landscape of Maternal and Newborn Mortality
Over 800 women die every day from preventable causes during pregnancy and childbirth. The risk is vastly higher in developing regions, where over 90% of maternal deaths occur. Babies also face high rates of mortality, with 2.5 million newborns worldwide not surviving their first month. The highest newborn death rates are concentrated in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Behind the statistics are heartbreaking stories of loss that devastate families and communities. Conditions like postpartum hemorrhage, infections, obstructed labor, and preeclampsia lead to tragic outcomes for mothers. Preterm birth, asphyxia, and infections are significant threats to newborns. Most of these could be prevented with improved access to quality care.
Progress and Gaps
The good news is that maternal and newborn mortality rates have fallen by about 40% since 2000. More women are delivering in healthcare facilities with skilled birth attendants. Family planning services have expanded, allowing women to delay first pregnancy and space later births for healthier outcomes. Technologies like antenatal steroids and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are saving premature babies.
However, there is still a long way to go to close gaps in care. Skilled providers face shortages in staffing and supplies. Teen pregnancies remain high in many areas. Marginalized populations frequently lack access to antenatal and delivery services. Conflict zones and fragile states endure ongoing barriers to protecting maternal and newborn health.
Opportunities to Accelerate Progress
Experts suggest policymakers focus on workforce training, health system strengthening, family planning services, emergency obstetric care, newborn resuscitation programs, breastfeeding support, and community health worker programs. More funding is needed at national and global levels along with multi-sector coordination. Task shifting some maternal and newborn health tasks to less specialized health workers shows promise for overcoming staff shortages. Quality data collection, analysis and accountability mechanisms can help drive improvement.
In the community, ending child marriage, keeping girls in school, transport and infrastructure improvements, clean water access, women’s empowerment programs, lactation support, kangaroo mother care, and public awareness campaigns can all leverage change. Every new innovation or effort in this area contributes to saving precious lives.
Work Still to be Done
While progress deserves celebration, the world still falls short on goals for preventable maternal and newborn mortality. This is unacceptable. Childbirth should be safe, positive and empowering – not a traumatic gamble between life and death. Babies deserve a healthy nurturing start, not a struggle to survive past their first days due to circumstances beyond their control.
All stakeholders must ramp up commitments to protecting mothers and newborns. Only through collaboration, investment, priority-setting, accountability, and compassion can nations support those bringing the youngest members of the global community into the world. This is both a practical necessity and a moral obligation. Mothers and babies’ wellbeing impacts everything else, and their health must be vigilantly guarded.
Conclusion
The health of mothers and infants has no room for compromise. Loss of life to preventable causes during this critical window is nothing short of a tragedy. Global momentum on reducing mortality is encouraging but more urgent work lies ahead across health policies, programs, funding, innovation, community support, and other interventions. Every mother and baby deserves the best possible chance not just to survive, but to thrive. This will lead to improved lives, resilience, and human capital which benefits entire societies. There are no shortcuts; only a sustained worldwide effort can get us where we need to be. The time for action is now.