International Day of the Midwife!

Today, May 5th, is the International Day of the Midwife. Originated, by the International Conference of Midwives, it's a day to bring special attention to the integral role of midwives and all birthworkers in maternal and child health around the world.

According to the ICM, over 340,000 women die each year, with millions more suffering infection and disability, as a result of preventable maternal causes. 80% of maternal deaths are due to 5 direct causes: haemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortion, obstructed labor and hypertensive disease of pregnancy. And 60% of these deaths occur in just six countries (India, Nigeria,  Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo).

According to the ICM, up to 90% of maternal deaths could be prevented by universal access to adequate reproductive health services, equipment, supplies and skilled healthcare workers.


These are sobering statistics indeed. We could go on and on here about the forces at work--economic, political, cultural--that have made pregnancy and birth so dangerous for so many women, and we invite your thoughts on those issues. No doubt these shocking rates of maternal death and injury in developing countries contribute to a myth in American culture that birth is inherently dangerous and should be treated as a medical disease. The dissolution of that myth is just one of the many reasons we need to be working together to promote reproductive rights, including access to skilled midwives and birth attendant, for women around the globe.

Today, around the world, people are walking together through their communities to raise awareness of the importance of midwives in helping reduce maternal and infant mortality. You can find a list of local events on the Internal Day of the Midwife web site. If you can't attend a local action in your area, check out the Virtual Day of the International Midwife -- they've got streaming events and speakers all day long, and will be posting recordings of the sessions next week.

And thank a midwife today!