International Day for Maternal Health and Rights: Prenatal Care

I am an OBGYN in private practice for almost 40 years. My first experience to see maternal mortality was when I was ten years old in India. My two neighbors died in childbirth -- one was 19 years old pregnant with her first baby and she died of pre-eclampsia and the other died after her third delivery with hypertension and renal failure. Prenatal care is about the well-being of both mother and baby and it starts with mother being in good health followed with pre-conception counseling and a series of appointments leading to childbirth.

Every woman has a right to be taken care of and protected during her pregnancy so she can raise her children. She should get help in seeing the healthcare provider for her checkups, get help with adequate nutrition and checked for any complications during pregnancy that can cause adverse effect to her and her unborn child. Her safety at home, abusive situations and exposure to infections should be monitored. A woman who has medical problems should be screened so she does not lose her life through pregnancy. Pregnancy termination and contraception are to be offered to her and education on these subjects is important. If it is socially unacceptable then her partner and family should be involved in counseling.

Today we have many tools for educating girls and women to decide when they get married, have sex and get pregnant. It is a choice unlike in the past where it was not a choice. Maternal mortality is tragic and most of the time reflects on a society that is not being responsible or responsive to the need for proper prenatal care.

By Dr. Usha Varma, Denver, Colorado

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