Susanne Remic is a primary school teacher, freelance writer and parenting blogger. She writes at Ghostwritermummy and Maternity Matters and in between all of that she regularly wins mummy of the year awards for running around after her two children, aged six and 19 months. This is her pregnancy blog: an online diary of her third pregnancy as she strives to overcome two difficult births, one angel child and one awkward toddler. Join Susanne as she shares every step of her journey from bump to baby!
Missing midwives
By Susanne Remic on 19 Sep 2011
Yesterday I attended a Save the Children conference in London. The aim of the day was to ask bloggers and vloggers to help raise awareness of the charity’s No Child Born to Die campaign. I left London yesterday feeling as though all of my own 'problems' had been put into perspective. The things I have cried over this week seem so silly now.
In some of the world’s poorest countries, some people will never ever see a health worker in the whole of their lives. Those that do, often have to walk for hours, days, weeks for that privilege. Often when they arrive it is either too late, or they do not have enough money to pay for treatment. Some mothers have to make the terrible decision over which children to leave behind as they cannot afford to travel for so long with all of their precious babies. Some mothers have to watch their children die before they get to the basic clinics because it is just too late.
Some mothers have to watch their children die of preventable and treatable illnesses, such as diarreah. Some mothers will never see a midwife during their entire pregnancy; they will never give birth in a hospital and they will never be educated on how best to care for their families or prevent illnesses.
Save the Children are calling for the government to put an end to the horror that is occurring. Health workers are vital to help save the lives of millions of children. Money is needed to train and employ these health workers so that communities can treat themselves.
As a mother, I cannot imagine the desperation and the pain that these families face each day. When my children are ill, I take them two minutes down the road to the doctors. They are treated and we are sent home, often without even needing a day off school. I am so lucky. I am able to vaccinate my children to prevent diseases and illnesses. I am able to speak to health visitors when my son isn’t feeding well and I am able to discuss my worries over my own health. I am able to do all of this because of where I live.
I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about missing midwives. My own experiences of childbirth have been marred by a shortage of midwives. But the fact is that some women will never receive ante-natal care and will not be assisted at all in childbirth. Many, many women and babies die during childbirth.
During the conference, we linked up live to a health worker in Nairobi, South Sudan. She told us how she had saved the lives of a mother and baby who were close to death. This health worker often has to travel for hours over rough terrain to reach her patients and often it is too late. This health worker does not earn much money and is in need of further training so that she can treat more patients.
So, what can you and I do? I can write this post, I can appeal to your conscience. I can give you the link to the campaign and ask that you read more about the work Save the Children are doing. You can sign this petition, lobbying the government and other world leaders to pledge funds for more health workers in poorer countries. You can help to find those missing midwives.
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