bloggers for birth kits

According to the World Health Organization, approximately one thousand women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occur in developing countries, and can be prevented.


That's like two Boeing 747s crashing every day, with no survivors.


If two commercial planes crashed in the same day, let alone every day, governments would be scrambling for answers. Consumer protection groups would be up in arms. People would demand changes in rules and regulations to ensure that this kind of tragedy would be avoided in the future.


So why aren't we hearing anything about these mothers? It's time to give them a voice. It's time to change the statistics. It's time to make a difference.

Adriel at the Mommyhood Memos founded Bloggers for Birth Kits to do just that -- she's making a change, and you can help.


Did you know that a simple clean birth kit can help save a mom’s life? Did you know that for around $2-3 you can assemble one? Did you know that everything you need to make one can be found easily and quickly at your local hardware store and pharmacy?

So, how can you help reduce maternal mortality? It's so easy. You can make some birth kits and mail them to Adriel. You can make a donation online (be sure to write “Bloggers for Birth Kits” in the box that says “additional comments” so the funds will be allocated properly). And you can help spread the word. Please visit Adriel's blog for more details.

My husband and I have been blessed with two happy, healthy babies in the last two years. The birth of our first child was long and hard, but we had a great support team and excellent medical care. We all came through it together, and it was an amazing experience.

The birth of our second child in December of last year was incredibly powerful. Again, I had an amazing support team -- my incredible husband, the same doula that attended Jacks' birth, a wonderful resident who placed a high value on natural birth, amazingly supportive OB docs, a group of rockstar nurses. We could not have asked for a better team. Ruby's birth was beautiful. I got the natural birth I had planned and hoped for. And the hours after her birth were spent in a haze of awesome postpartum hormones and baby kisses.

And then, I hemorrhaged.

Five hours after Ruby's birth, I had to be rushed to surgery to have an emergency D&C. I was given several units of blood. Had I not been in the hospital with immediate medical attention, the outcome would very likely have been different. It's tough for me to even think about...

I was very lucky that day.

Every Mama deserves the chance to say the same.