Saving Lives with Midwives

Having a baby should be safe. Yet it’s far too often a death sentence for both the mother and the baby. An estimated 260,000 women died in 2023 during and right after giving birth, and those numbers will have risen with the loss of United States global aid dollars.

There are ways to improve this – better prenatal care is an obvious one. According to the World Health Organization, women giving birth most often die from severe bleeding, infections, or other complications. Pregnant women also die from high blood pressure or from unsafe abortions or complications of miscarriage.

If women can get the right medical care during pregnancy, delivery, and after childbirth, the risk of death plummets. But doctors and nurses can be scarce, especially in lower-income countries. Women also often fear going to hospitals or clinics, mistrust them, or simply lack the money to make use of them. 

A much easier solution is a properly trained midwife. The International Confederation of Midwives supports groups that train and advocate for midwives, who can help ensure safe births.

Some countries even have programs to train and license midwives. Professor Doreen Kaura of the University of the Western Cape in Belville, South Africa heads one such program. She also conducts research into the effects of midwifery practice.

Not only can well-trained midwives provide high-level medical care for pregnant and delivering women, but they can take into account cultural beliefs and practices that earn trust and ensure that women show up for the lifesaving care they need, Kaura has found. “Respectful care is not optional,” she says.

Listen here as she tells One World, One Health about the benefits of midwives and how they can save both lives and money.