Pregnancy and childbirth are critical times for women and children.Worldwide, 15 percent of all mothers experience a life-threatening complication during childbirth. In Latin America, nearly 40 percent of deaths of children under 5 are the result of complications of pregnancy or childbirth.

Most of these problems could be prevented with low-cost, proven interventions. Good prenatal care—with a minimum of four prenatal visits during pregnancy—helps address problems in both mother and baby. Prenatal screening can detect preeclampsia, blood-type incompatibility, diabetes, low birth weight, and birth defects.Counseling mothers-to-be to quit smoking and avoid alcohol helps ensure that their babies are born healthy and stay that way.

The care a mother receives during childbirth is critical for her own health and survival and those of her baby. Having professionally trained help—what public health experts term "skilled attendance at birth"—can mean the difference between life and death for a mother or a child. In Latin America and the Caribbean, three out of four deliveries take place in hospitals or other institutions—a much higher proportion than in other developing regions—but many women still give birth at home without trained help. Increasing access to health services for low-income women and those living in rural or remote areas is critical for increasing the proportion of births that are attended by skilled health professionals.

Equally important to safe childbirth are well-equipped facilities that can deal with emergencies or else provide women referrals and help them get to another facility. In Latin America and the Caribbean, eight out of 10 women, on average, have access to essential obstetric care. The challenge is to provide this care to those for whom it is still out of reach.

Index Page

Articles:
Bird Flu: Communicating
the Risk

The Man Who Made Polio History

All He Talks About Is Sex

Mothers and Children: Make Them Count

Kids' Sports for Life

Columns:
First Word
Risky business

Last Word
The gift of blood

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