According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) ,over 34 per cent (or of women die monthly due to maternal mortality. Death of women during pregnancy or childbirth is a major issue.
Maternity is a state of being a mother,which is related to pregnancy and childbirth and being a mother doesn’t comes easy. Many pregnant women who we reached confessed that ‘being pregnant comes with lots of task and stages which all mothers pass through with different symptoms’.
The rate at which pregnant women die during pregnancy and childbirth is alarming. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the maternal mortality rate of Nigeria is 814 (per 100,000 live births).The lifetime risk of a Nigerian woman dying during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum or post-abortion is 1 in 22, in comparison to the lifetime risk in developed countries estimated at 1 in 4900.
Therefore,there is need to prevent maternal mortality and improve the maternal health of women in the country. This can be achieved through these safety measures: pregnant women should eat healthy foods,take daily prenatal vitamins, always go for prenatal checkup regularly,daily exercise and planning the right time to get pregnant.
However,quality maternal health care in is key to reducing mortality and could also make menstrual cycle easier than before because healthy childbirth decreases menstrual pains, paves way for better conjugal life and also reduces the risk of certain cancerous growth. It also lowers the risk of breast cancer and helps being tolerant and patient in terms of caring for the baby.
Nigeria is the second largest contributor to maternal mortality globally,the country estimated annual 40,000 pregnancy related deaths of about 19 per cent of the global total,everyday 109 Nigerian women die during childbirth.
In addition,some of the barriers of maternal health include delay in making decisions to seek maternal health care, delay in locating and arriving at a medical facility, and delay in receiving better pregnancy care when the woman gets to the health facility which could lead to death, premature childbirth and miscarriage.
However,the government and stakeholders in the country should help improve maternal health care and develop more effective and efficient national health systems. It should support use of reproductive health service and focus on assisted delivery and family planning and also invest in community-based midwives.
Most importantly,the government should organise a programme to educate women on how to improve their health,this will also enhance maternal health outcomes.
- Adeyemo is a Mass Communication student at University of Maiduguri.