What you need to know about stillbirths

If you don't already know still birth is death or loss of a baby before or during delivery. It may sound familiar to you, like a miscarriage. Yes, both miscarriage and stillbirth are described as pregnancy loss. But they are different in terms of when the pregnancy loss was taken. It has stated from the Centers for disease control and prevention that in the United States, a miscarriage is usually defined as loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy, and a stillbirth is loss of a baby after 20 weeks of pregnancy. This is very tragic. As UNICEF has mentioned, one stillbirth happens every 16 seconds. That’s about 2 million babies stillborn every year. Imagine women having to mentally and physically prepare themselves for getting or doing everything they have to for this baby. Especially during childbirth.

For instance as mentioned from UNICEF. A woman in Sierra Leone gave birth to a stillborn baby at home for 10 hours of labor. She was brought to the hospital for emergency removal of a retained placenta. Of eight pregnancies, she has four surviving children. That is just dreadful.

There a various reasons as to how women especially in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, China and Ethiopia, experience stillbirth. These include, oxygen deprivation, placental obstruction and other delivery and labour related complications. As mentioned from UNICEF many of these can be avoided if key interventions, such as assisted vaginal delivery, skilled birth attendants or emergency C-sections, are available. In other words, in specific countries like this they aren't provided with a lot of health care, and health facilities. On top of people who live in such bad conditions in their home environment. Not having enough food, enough water, cleanliness or sanitation, or even a home. The struggle that women have to go through with what they just have. Barely anything.

    To prevent or even help women who go through stillbirth. UNICEF working around the world to make affordable, quality health care a reality for every mother and baby. On top of developing a plan to prioritize and budget for things of such health care for women and child labor. For any necessities they must need. Help UNICEF in order to achieve there goals to help women out there, just by donating money to help with finances. 

More info and what you can do visit : https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/one-stillbirth-occurs-every-16-seconds-according-first-ever-joint-un-estimates

Nov. 3 2020 Above: Woman who went through 10 hours of labor. 

https://www.unicef.org/stories/what-you-need-know-about-stillbirths 

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/stillbirth/facts.html