My six-month-old baby and I spontaneously stopped by the clinic where she was born on our morning walk today. About three dozen midwives from Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi, were visiting to learn more about water birth and the methods practiced at Yayasan Bumi Sehat. Bumi Sehat is a natural birthing clinic founded by American midwife Robin Lim.
I was invited to speak about my own experience with water birth, which was healthy and beautiful. I also told the midwives how I think their work is so very important.
Too many women die every day in Indonesia from complications without adequate medical care during childbirth. Maternal mortality is shamefully high relative to other indicators of Indonesia's sustainable human development, such as education and general life expectancy. It's also high as compared to neighboring countries and countries worldwide with similar levels of development.
The Jakarta Post reported on recent meetings in Bali bringing attention to the problems of maternal and infant mortality.
The article reports that "according to Health Ministry data, the country’s maternal mortality rate (MMR) remains high at 307 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, with about two women dying every hour during pregnancy and delivery."
"In comparison, the maternal mortality rate reached only 39 per 100,000 in Malaysia and 6 per 100,000 in Singapore."
UNICEF estimates maternal mortality in Indonesia even higher, at 420 per 100,000 live births.
Many factors contribute to high maternal and infant mortality rates in Indonesia. Inadequate prenatal nutrition and inadequate access to emergency medical care are two big ones. Training midwives across Indonesia is an important step toward saving women 's and children's lives.
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