Safe Motherhood Week: Carving The Path To A More Accessible Healthcare For Mothers During and After Pregnancy

In light of this year’s Mother’s Day, Safe Motherhood Week, which is held and celebrated in The Philippines each year, every 2nd week of May, is dedicated to raising awareness about a woman’s health and nutritional needs during pregnancy. The preparation stage for growing a child in the mother’s womb is the most crucial step, as this could be the gauge of how efficient or difficult giving birth will be to expecting mothers. To ensure a safe and healthy motherhood, expecting mothers should prioritize their mental health and maintain a nutritious diet for their well-being and their baby’s development.

The World Health Organization reports that around 7 women die every day from pregnancy-related complications. This is due to some reasons for these women having limited access to basic healthcare, and medical facilities, as well as living in remote areas which prevents them from a much safer delivery, and physical access to the maternal and postpartum health care required.

Let’s take a closer look at the key elements of safe motherhood:

1. Access to effective family planning – ensuring that couples and individuals have the information needed to plan and space out their pregnancies.
   
   
2. Antenatal care – ensuring that pregnancy related complications are detected and resolved as soon as possible.
   
   
3. A clean and safe delivery – with trained birth assistants and access to clean facilities and equipment.
   
   
4. Essential obstetric care – available to all who need it.

We at NMPC stand for all expecting mothers their right to access reliable healthcare for a healthy and secure pregnancy and child delivery. Motherhood is a magical and extraordinary journey that most women experience in their lives. Giving life to a child and raising them as their own, offers a different level of joy and fulfillment that only mothers will ever understand.