No Woman Should Lose Her Life

No woman should lose her life on account of giving birth to a child. This I have been hearing lately.

A colleague lost a sister to childbirth. I lost one of my community volunteers to the same issues. I was told that the young mother died after the birth of her child; she bled to death. She was a great volunteer in a community in Lagos who worked with us in different communities to identify orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). She oversaw the OVC activities and supervised some of the kids clubs…she made a great impact in the life of OVC.

It breaks my heart as a woman and a mother to hear this sad news. She was someone who could go the extra mile to ensure that the less privileged child gets succor. She was a great mother to some of our OVC. She will truly be missed by all.

May your soul rest in the blossom of God your creator, dearest sister. Thanks for all the love you showered on all the homes and children that came your way. You are our true Hero.

Nigeria accounts

• Maternal Mortality Rate (Per 100,00 live birth): 560 (300-1000)
• Maternal deaths: 40,000
• Numbers of AIDS-related indirect maternal deaths: 1,600

Two years ago I had a woman in my support group who was pregnant with twins. She called one of my community care workers and said she could not feel her babies’ movement inside her. When I was called upon for advice, I told them to take her to the hospital where she could access treatment and PMCTC services. She went and was asked to do a scan. The scan showed that the babies were bridged, both of them. One was in a sitting position and the other was lying across the one sitting. She was asked to get prepared for an emergence C/S. This couple could not get funds in time for the surgery. Before they could gather money, one of the babies died in her womb and was already decomposing inside the young mother. This was her first pregnancy.

My dearest friend and sister died 38 hours after the surgery and one of the boys lived. He survived and started facing stigma from birth; no one wanted to take care of him. Even the mother’s relatives did not take the baby boy and they even refused for the mother to be buried properly. They wanted the husband to pay some fine. So her corpse stayed in the morgue for over two months until the state government wrote of her hospital bills in Lagos.

Today that sweet little boy is alive and healthy with one of our community care workers in Lagos. They took him into their home and made him their son. This family has three sons of theirs, but they still took him and they are not an HIV- positive couple. But they all love this little bundle of joy that the community has rejected.

We all need to fight this to end maternal mortality in our country and in our community. Mothers need to be able to enjoy the joy of bearing a child, not costing their lives. It is time for we women to take a stand and put an end to maternal mortality among women and among women living with HIV!!