On Mothers' day 2014, don't forget this..

May 11, 2014 is mothers' day.  Some women will be celebrated by their children, others will be forced to remember the painful memory of the child they carried for months but lost in delivery. Some families will celebrate mothers, others will remember women who went into labour and never came back.

Each year, the lives of thousands of mothers are lost before, during and after child birth. The deaths, termed maternal mortality, are related to severe bleeding (mostly after childbirth), infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy, adolescent pregnancy and malaria and anaemia, among others.

Ever wondered what you can do to reduce or prevent maternal mortality? Here are 10 simple things you can do to make sure there are as many mothers holding and caring for their babies as there are many babies experiencing the love of a mother.

When she becomes pregnant;

1.  Encourage the pregnant woman to seek antenatal care. This gives her the chance to receive the services of skilled health professionals, who will provide her with relevant information, give her important instructions and identify any risk as soon as possible for immediate attention.

2.  Give the pregnant woman special attention during pregnancy, childbirth and the weeks after childbirth. By doing this you can help identify any complication and bring it to the attention of a skilled health professional. Untreated infections after child birth can lead to the death of a new mother.

3.  Help the pregnant woman to watch their diet. For example encouraging her to eat low-salt diet, more fruits and vegetables. For some women, pregnancy causes cravings for unhealthy foods like high-salt diets. High-salt diet is a risk factor for high blood pressure, which has been identified as one the causes of maternal mortality.

4.  Encourage pregnant women to sleep under treated bed nets and use mosquito repellent creams to prevent the occurrence of malaria. Malaria is also  associated with maternal mortality.

5.  Join the advocacy for more skilled attendants to be trained, health centres to be built in every town or rural community,  and more equipment to be installed in these health centres.

6.  Join the call to end premature marriages and teenage pregnancy.

When she becomes a mother,

7.   Encourage her to exclusively breastfeed her baby for the first six months to start the baby on a healthy growth path.

8.  Support her in the role of shaping the healthy lifestyle choices of the children. Mothers play a key role in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle by a child. A healthy lifestyle ensures the child will realize their full potential.

And as mother’s day is around the corner, let’s all be reminded

9.  To encourage and support girls and women to be educated and economically empowered.

10.  To say no girls and women abuse. Let’s all join the call to #BringBackOurGirls.

Happy Mothers day!

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About the author

Olime Health, a total health brand on a mission of enabling people to choose and live healthier lifestyles. The brand advocates for an environment which encourages and supports the health and nutritional wellbeing of people. Twitter @Olimehealth or Facebook.com/olimehealth

Newaccra Magazine is a positive lifestyle magazine for the young and driven. Our goal is to inspire ambitious young people to achieve their big dreams. We do this by providing high quality content on personal development, success lessons, positive mindsets, healthy lifestyles and current sports and entertainment. Follow us on Twitter @newaccra [] Facebook.com/newaccra 

photo; globalsolutions.org

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