In a message dated 12/1/03 10:44:55 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
We must never forget that birth
can be fatal, and in past eras, the average life span of women was very low
(in the 40's I believe) because the number of women who died in childbirth was
so very high. These women were all having "natural" childbirth, and it killed
a lot of them.
Dear Friends:
According to the WHO, the leading causes of death for childbearing women
today are (I am not sure of the order) infection, hemorrhage, obstructed
labor, and unsafe abortion.
Maternal death rates in the US are increasing; this is not commonly
known, yet is something to watch for. There are lots of reasons: there are women
today who get pregnant that prior to technology would never have conceived,
including women with serious heart, lung and kidney disease. There are
complications of the use of technology, as well as nasty, nasty germs such as MRSAs. In
2001, the US tied for 17th (with Italy and the Netherlands) in the world for
maternal deaths from pregnancy related causes per 100,000 live births.
Countries with lower maternal morbidity were UK, Macedonia, Sweden, Switzerland,
Spain, Singapore, Norway, Israel, Ireland, Greece, Grenada, Finland, Croatia,
Luxembourg, Brunei and Cyprus. (This list in not in order.)
The Infant Mortality rate in the US was tied with Cuba. In 2001, there
were 29 countries where more babies survived than the US. These countries
include UK, Scandanavia, Japan, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Germany, France, Austria,
Australia and more.
The really scary number is the under-5s mortality rate where the USA was
ranked 158 in 1999. That means that there were 30 countries in the world where
more children under 5 survived.
Yes, I agree with Barbara in that there are tremendous advantages to
living today............if one is educated, lucky, basically healthy, wealthy, and
living in a place where the health care system is accessible to much of the
population.
warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CIMI, CCE, craniosacral therapy
Adjunct faculty, Union Institute and University, Maternal and Child Health:
Lactation Consulting
Supporting the WHO Code and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative
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