There is strong evidence supporting the use of birth companions as providers of emotional support during labor to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes, as well as women’s experiences with maternity care. However, despite the substantial body of evidence and advocacy efforts surrounding this issue, many women across the globe do not have birth companions…read more
New Report Provides Snapshot of SRMNAH Workforce in East and Southern Africa
Posted onThe United Nations Population Fund recently published “The State of the World’s Midwifery: Analysis of the Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health (SRMNAH) Workforce in East & Southern Africa.” The report uses the framework of the 2014 State of the World’s Midwifery report to assess the SRMNAH workforce in 21 countries in the region…read more
The Struggle to Provide Culturally-Appropriate Maternity Care
Posted onWorld Contraception Day: How Does Family Planning Impact Maternal Health?
Posted onWorld Contraception Day is an opportunity to remember that in many parts of the world, a large gap persists between women’s reproductive intentions and their access to family planning options. Integrating family planning services into maternal health services can be an effective strategy for reducing unmet need, especially in situations where maternity care is a woman’s primary contact with the health care system…read more
From the Archives | The Global and National Maternal Mortality Targets for the Sustainable Development Goals
Posted onReducing the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births through national reduction of MMR by two-thirds in all countries by 2030 and reducing inequities in maternal survival within and among countries will be challenging; but with continued investment in maternal health research, programs and policy at the global, national and local levels, we can work together to end preventable maternal mortality across the globe…read more
Adapting the Safe Childbirth Checklist to Reduce Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths in India
Posted onIn August 2017, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health hosted a seminar featuring Beena Varghese, Senior Health Economist at the Public Health Foundation of India, who presented findings from a study she led in Rajasthan, India to examine the impact of an adapted version of the World Health Organization Safe Childbirth Checklist on rates of stillbirth and very early neonatal deaths…read more
On World Sepsis Day, Let’s Focus on Mothers and Newborns
Posted on13 September is World Sepsis Day, an opportunity for the global health community to recognize the burden of this morbidity and build momentum for prompt action. Sepsis, which is a result of the body’s response to infection, is responsible for roughly 11% of maternal deaths and 8% of newborn deaths worldwide…read more
How Bangladesh Increased Maternal Health Care Utilization and Reduced Inequities
Posted onDespite achieving a 70% reduction in its national maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2015, Bangladesh has had difficulty finding solutions for geographic and socioeconomic differences in maternal death rates. A recent paper examined the impact of the Maternal and Neonatal Health Initiatives in Bangladesh program on maternal health care utilization and equity…read more
From the Archives | Giving Birth Without Clean Water
Posted onThe Best Available Tools to Measure Women’s Childbirth Experiences
Posted onUnderstanding women’s experiences during childbirth is an important component of addressing issues related to the quality of maternal health care. However, measuring the quality of maternal health care, and specifically women’s experiences, is notoriously difficult. A recent paper reviewed existing measurement tools that aim to capture women’s childbirth experiences and offered recommendations…read more