Preventing newborn deaths due to prematurity
Preterm births (PTBs), defined as births before 37 weeks of gestation account for the majority of deaths in the newborn period. Prediction and prevention of PTB is challenging. A history…
Ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths due to infection
Over 300,000 maternal deaths occur each year, 11% of which are thought to be due to infectious causes, and approximately one million newborns die within the first week of life…
Preventing deaths from complications of labour and delivery
The process of labour and delivery remains an unnecessary and preventable cause of death of women and babies around the world. Although the rates of maternal and perinatal death are…
Preventing deaths due to the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
In this chapter, taking a life cycle and both civil society and medically oriented approach, we will discuss the contribution of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) to maternal, perinatal…
Preventing deaths due to haemorrhage
Prevention of deaths from obstetric haemorrhage requires effective health systems including family planning, commodities, personnel, infrastructure and ultimately universal access to comprehensive obstetric care for women giving birth. The main…
Improving quality of care during labour and childbirth and in the immediate postnatal period
Quality of care during labour and childbirth and in the immediate postnatal period is important in ensuring healthy maternal and newborn survival. A narrative review of existing quality frameworks in…
Accountability for improving maternal and newborn health
In 2010, the United Nations (UN) launched the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health to accelerate progress on maternal and child health. A UN Commission on Information and Accountability,…
Why do maternal and newborn deaths continue to occur?
According to estimates in 2015, there were 303,000 maternal deaths, 2.7 million newborn deaths and 2.6 million stillbirths. A wide range of factors, from health system dynamics to social determinants…
Measuring maternal, foetal and neonatal mortality: Challenges and solutions
Levels and causes of mortality in mothers and babies are intrinsically linked, occurring at the same time and often to the same mother–baby dyad, although mortality rates are substantially higher…
Global maternal health and newborn health: Looking backwards to learn from history
The late appearance of the ‘M’ on the international health agenda – in its own right and not just as a carrier of the intrauterine passenger – is thought-provoking. The…
