Birth in Bolivia

From an article on the state of childbirth in Bolivia:

Health Ministry estimates attribute the major causes of maternal mortality in Bolivia to haemorrhaging (23 percent), birth-related infections (14 percent), complications from unsafe abortions (16 percent), and eclampsia (12 percent).

All of these are largely preventable from the medical perspective, with the exception of unsafe abortions, which falls outside the scope of health measures, as it is a direct consequence of the country's laws against terminating pregnancies.

The infant mortality rate has also improved, but government projections show that it is unlikely to reach the MDG objective of a two-thirds reduction. From 1989 to 2003, the infant mortality rate was almost halved, falling from 120 deaths to 54 per 1,000 live births. Projections for 2015 are for 34 per 1,000 live births.

Infections? Complications from unsafe abortions? Eclampsia?

I feel the desire to jump on a plane and get over there and try to help make conditions safer. It seems that it would be simple to do.

Education, cleanliness, and good prenatal care.

We have all of these things here in the US, and I fear we seldom appreciate or take good advantage of them. We have education abounding, in various classes, the internet, books from Amazon, so many sources. And we have the ability to choose how well we take care of ourselves. We can eat good foods and get exercise. We can breathe good air (usually). We know there is a small risk of something going wrong in pregnancy and birth, but for us, it is very small. We usually don't fear that we will lose our own lives in the process.

Birth means something completely different to us.

While the birth of a child generally represents joy and life, in Bolivia, new motherhood is all too often plagued with fear, uncertainty and even death of mothers and newborns, report organisations dedicated to maternal and child health.

I feel that having a birth embody joy and life should be a basic right. I am deeply saddened that it is not, and I wish I could do something to change it and make it better for these women and their babies.