Safe Motherhood

Some 1,400 women die every day from problems related to pregnancy and childbirth. Tens of thousands more experience complications during pregnancy, many of which are life-threatening for the women and their children – or leave them with severe disabilities.

The dangers of childbearing can be greatly reduced if a woman is healthy and well nourished before becoming pregnant, if she has a health check-up by a trained health worker at least four times during every pregnancy, and if the birth is assisted by a skilled birth attendant such as a doctor, nurse or midwife. The woman should also be checked during the 12 hours after delivery and six weeks after giving birth.

Governments have a particular responsibility to make prenatal and postnatal services available, to train health workers to assist at childbirth, and to provide special care and referral services for women who have serious problems during pregnancy and childbirth.

Most governments have ratified an international agreement, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, that includes a legally binding commitment to provide the services pregnant women need.