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The whole maternal mortality issue is of SIGNIFICANT importance, or at least it should be. Too many women are dying during childbirth when the problems could very easily be prevented.
I always knew that in rural areas worldwide, women suffer tremendously during and after childbirth, but only a couple of days ago did I learn one of the most painful, most destructive sufferings ever. See, as a result of prolonged labor, the baby, which constantly pushes through the vaginal space to get out when it's ready, ends up creating a hole between the bladder and the vagina. This hole is called the obstetric fistula. When we need to urinate, we can hold it for some time because our urethra is designed in such a way that it sort of opens up when we want it to, and the urine comes when we want it to come; this is because we don't have this fistula. But once it is there, urine leaves the body uncontrollably. The fistula can come into being also as a result of (violent) rape.
The baby instinctively knows how and when to leave the mother's womb, and it will make every possible and impossible effort to do so. When it unsuccessfully pushes through the vaginal space when it's ready to leave but cannot, it ends up damaging the mother's body by creating the hole that then changes its mother's life forever: She will be urinating for the rest of her life. Whereas the normal and healthy individual gets to control when she/he urinates, the woman who suffers from pro-longed labor or (violent) rape cannot. Since they then "smell" of urine for the rest of their lives, no one wants to be around them, and they are often divorced and abandoned. What most societies do is ostracize them such that they then have to live in a certain place or community where *all* women around them have the same problem.
This problem cannot be fixed unless it's addressed IMMEDIATELY. Obviously, rural areas lack any medical facilities where it can be taken care of, so it's never solved.
Let's note that this is a problem in *every* rural society, though not all societies might give the same treatment to women once their urethra has been destroyed. The person through whom I heard about this is doing research with an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) who does fieldwork in the rural areas of India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh. In Pakistan, she handles the rural areas of Karachi and Lahore, and our hope is that one day, when it's safe for her, she'll reach other areas as well. Her conclusion is that this is is a common phenomenon anywhere where health care is bad, women give birth at home, and the midwives aren't well-trained.
This has been haunting me ever since I heard about it! Since most of us live in rural areas, our medical system is severely lacking, and over 90% of the children are born at home, this is DEFINITELY the case in our areas as well.
My purpose for saying this: For those of us who are planning to pursue medicine, please, please, PLEASE consider obstetrics, gynecology, nursing, and other fields that will help lessen not only mortality rate in our areas but also provide better health care for mothers who give birth at home. It shouldn't matter whether these professionals are male or female when our lives depend on them so desperately, so don't be "shy." We NEED all the help we can get! I don't call for Pukhtuns living in Afghanistan/Pukhtunwa to help; I understand they lack the means and facilities, so it might be too much to ask them to help prevent this problem. But I'm calling for the help of those who are living abroad, in countries where education is much better and where they have all the means and support.
It's great to be informed of things like these, but knowledge is of no use if we're not gonna use it for the benefit of those who miserably need help.
I always knew that in rural areas worldwide, women suffer tremendously during and after childbirth, but only a couple of days ago did I learn one of the most painful, most destructive sufferings ever. See, as a result of prolonged labor, the baby, which constantly pushes through the vaginal space to get out when it's ready, ends up creating a hole between the bladder and the vagina. This hole is called the obstetric fistula. When we need to urinate, we can hold it for some time because our urethra is designed in such a way that it sort of opens up when we want it to, and the urine comes when we want it to come; this is because we don't have this fistula. But once it is there, urine leaves the body uncontrollably. The fistula can come into being also as a result of (violent) rape.
The baby instinctively knows how and when to leave the mother's womb, and it will make every possible and impossible effort to do so. When it unsuccessfully pushes through the vaginal space when it's ready to leave but cannot, it ends up damaging the mother's body by creating the hole that then changes its mother's life forever: She will be urinating for the rest of her life. Whereas the normal and healthy individual gets to control when she/he urinates, the woman who suffers from pro-longed labor or (violent) rape cannot. Since they then "smell" of urine for the rest of their lives, no one wants to be around them, and they are often divorced and abandoned. What most societies do is ostracize them such that they then have to live in a certain place or community where *all* women around them have the same problem.
This problem cannot be fixed unless it's addressed IMMEDIATELY. Obviously, rural areas lack any medical facilities where it can be taken care of, so it's never solved.
Let's note that this is a problem in *every* rural society, though not all societies might give the same treatment to women once their urethra has been destroyed. The person through whom I heard about this is doing research with an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) who does fieldwork in the rural areas of India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh. In Pakistan, she handles the rural areas of Karachi and Lahore, and our hope is that one day, when it's safe for her, she'll reach other areas as well. Her conclusion is that this is is a common phenomenon anywhere where health care is bad, women give birth at home, and the midwives aren't well-trained.
This has been haunting me ever since I heard about it! Since most of us live in rural areas, our medical system is severely lacking, and over 90% of the children are born at home, this is DEFINITELY the case in our areas as well.
My purpose for saying this: For those of us who are planning to pursue medicine, please, please, PLEASE consider obstetrics, gynecology, nursing, and other fields that will help lessen not only mortality rate in our areas but also provide better health care for mothers who give birth at home. It shouldn't matter whether these professionals are male or female when our lives depend on them so desperately, so don't be "shy." We NEED all the help we can get! I don't call for Pukhtuns living in Afghanistan/Pukhtunwa to help; I understand they lack the means and facilities, so it might be too much to ask them to help prevent this problem. But I'm calling for the help of those who are living abroad, in countries where education is much better and where they have all the means and support.
It's great to be informed of things like these, but knowledge is of no use if we're not gonna use it for the benefit of those who miserably need help.
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