Main Causes of Maternal Death at Childbirth

Medical Video: Maternal Mortality

Death during childbirth is a serious case. In 2013, an estimated 289,000 women died during childbirth, down from 523,000 in 1990. But currently, 800 women every day are still dying from complications of pregnancy and childbirth around the world, equivalent to 33 cases per hour.

At the end of 2015 alone, WHO reported that at least 303,000 women worldwide died before and during labor. In Indonesia alone, throughout 2011-2015 there were 126 cases of maternal deaths per 100,000 successful labor processes.

Why does this happen?

Figures shown by WHO in 2008 state that bleeding at delivery is the third most common cause of maternal deaths in low-income countries (after HIV / AIDS and TB), and recorded up to 58,000 deaths.

Quoted from thelancet.com, a group of researchers showed that during 2003 to 2009, bleeding, hypertensive disorders (preeclampsia and eclampsia), and sepsis were the causes of more than half of maternal deaths worldwide. More than a quarter of the deaths are due to indirect causes, such as postpartum infections, complications of abortion, complications of labor, and blood clots.

The accumulation of a number of risk factors listed above has a role in maternal mortality worldwide up to 80%.

How to prevent maternal death during labor?

Although maternal mortality rates have dropped dramatically since the 1990s (up to 45 percent), almost 99 percent of all maternal mortality cases reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) come from developing countries that have low resource settings, including Indonesia. .

Actually, most of the causes of maternal death can be prevented. One of them is if the government provides a health system that is easily accessible to all mothers in various parts of the region, and at a relatively low cost, as a solution to the prevention and handling of emergencies from all complications of pregnancy and childbirth.

The main steps that have been proven to help reduce maternal mortality rates include:

Ensure that every woman has easy, fast, and high-quality access to prenatal care before delivery (at least 4 doctor consultations during pregnancy).
Ensure that every woman has access to skilled nursing staff (maternity doctors, certified midwives, professional nurses) during labor and care a few weeks after the labor process is over.
Ensure easy access to quality hospitals or labor clinics. The risk can be significantly reduced if problems in pregnancy can be addressed early and if women can have their babies delivered in a complete health clinic or hospital with trained midwives and doctors to help.
Access and empowerment of Family Planning programs.

Severe bleeding after birth can kill a healthy mother within a few hours if left unattended. Injecting oxytocin immediately after delivery also effectively reduces the risk of bleeding.

Postpartum infections can be eliminated if good hygiene is tightly maintained during the birth process and if the initial signs of infection can be detected and responded to in a timely manner.

Preeclampsia must be detected and managed well before seizures arise (eclampsia) and other life-threatening complications. Administration of drugs such as magnesium sulfate for preeclampsia can reduce a woman's risk of developing eclampsia.Giving calcium and aspirin since the beginning of pregnancy is also given to reduce this risk.

To avoid maternal death, it is also important to prevent unwanted and premature pregnancies. All women, including young women, need access to contraception, official abortion services performed by doctors and protected by law for unwanted pregnancy cases and guaranteed health care.

Mother and baby health are two things that are interrelated with each other. About 2.7 million newborns die each year, and an additional 2.6 million die in the womb. It is important to ensure that all births can be assisted by skilled health professionals, so that if problems are found they can be addressed in a timely manner. This can make the difference between life and death for mother and baby.

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