Over the past 25 years, great strides have been made in maternal and newborn health — the number of maternal deaths dropped by nearly half since 1990, and the number of newborn deaths fell 47% between 1990 and 2015.
And yet, in spite of substantial advances in maternal and newborn health over recent decades, roughly 300,000 girls and women still die due to pregnancy- and childbirth related complications every year. 830 a day. One every 2 minutes.
This isn’t just unacceptable – it’s unnecessary.
Providing quality healthcare and nutritional support for all women and babies is a small price to pay for a healthy generation.
This month, Women Deliver returns to its roots by focusing our monthly theme on Maternal and Newborn Health, but in the spirit of the Deliver for Good campaign we are taking an integrated approach by also spotlighting the critical role nutrition plays in saving lives and safeguarding the health of women and newborns, just as we are linking maternal health to other issues like non communicable diseases, gender equality, and education. Our work is varied: bringing unseen issues like diabetes in pregnancy out of the shadows; elevating the work of midwives; highlighting breastfeeding as a healthy practice; and advocating for safe abortion as a strategy to lower maternal deaths.
Help us continue the momentum and ensure maternal and newborn health and nutrition for all.
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Featured Content
Join Women Deliver on May 12 at 9:30 a.m. EDT for part two of our webinar series and learn about country-level programs that are addressing diabetes in pregnancy across geographies. Esteemed panelists will discuss both successful strategies and experiences confronting challenges.
This piece from World Vision explores why, and how collaboration with all sectors of society is indispensable for sustainable development and long-lasting change.
In this video Senior Consultant and Medical Director, Divakers Speciality Hospital, India, Dr. Hema Divaker discusses the rise of diabetes in pregnancy among Indian women, and how to use advocacy to tackle this and other concommunicable diseases.
Solutions in Action: Improve Maternal and Newborn Health and Nutrition
Partner Resources
This advocacy brief from UNICEF and The World Health Organization explores the linkages between gender equality and breastfeeding.
This International Joint Statement was reviewed and endorsed by Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN),the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), and the International Pediatric Association (IPA).
This report from the World Health Organization,the White Ribbon Alliance, and the International Confederation of Midwives documents the voices and realities of 2470 midwifery personnel in 93 countries and describes, from their perspective, the barriers they experience to providing quality, respectful care for women, newborns and their families.
This research brief on nutrition and health integration across the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health continuum is part of a series developed by RESULTS UK.