THE MOTHER AND THE UNBORN CHILD

Giving birth should be

about giving life
not giving up a life.

Maternal mortality rate

200 per 100,000 live births
State of the World’s Children Report
UNICEF, 2004
Pregnant mothers
with at least 4 pre-natal
check-up visits
Total 70%
Urban 78%
Rural 62%
Pregnant mothers
with at least 2 tetanus toxoid injections
Total 37%
Urban 37%
Rural 38%
National Demographic & Health Survey
National Statistics Office, 2003

TOO MANY MOTHERS ARE DYING

200 women for every 100,000 births die.

• Roughly over 11 women die every day.

• 7 out of 10 deaths occur at child birth or within a day after delivery.
• 4 out of 10 deaths are due to complications and widespread infections
• For every death, 40 more women get sick.
• 8 out of 10 births in rural areas are delivered outside a health facility

A Philippine saying goes: “A woman giving birth has her one foot in the grave.” This gloomily illustrates
the danger a woman goes through to bring another human into this world.
Maternal mortality offers a litmus test of the status of women, their access to health care and the
adequacy of the health care system in responding to their needs. As primary caregivers, mothers are
crucial to infant survival and the child’s optimal development. But in order for them to become effective in
this role, their rights too have to be addressed.

Women may get pregnant, miscarry, give birth, lactate, and breastfeed. All these take their toll on
women’s health, making them more susceptible to illnesses in the long run. Women need to slow down,
space births, and eat well.

This indeed has become a vicious cycle. Malnourished pregnant women give birth to underweight infants.
Mothers who are iodine-deficient suffer frequent miscarriages, still births, and early infant deaths. Babies
who survive will most likely be born deformed and mentally challenged.

Women are crucial to guarding children’s health and nutrition. Ill health in women often translates to not
being able to properly take care of the children.

Infant mortality rate: total: 20.56 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 23.17 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Infant mortality Ra Percent Date of

Year
rate nk Change Information
2003 24.98 106 2003 est.
2004 23.51 105 -5.88 % 2004 est.
2005 23.51 105 0.00 % 2005 est.
2006 22.81 105 -2.98 % 2006 est.
2007 22.12 103 -3.02 % 2007 est.
2008 21.2 104 -4.16 % 2008 est.
2009 20.56 103 -3.02 % 2009 est.

Definition: This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year
per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male
and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country.

Source: CIA World Factbook - Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of
September 17, 2009