Maternal Health Innovations
By Portlandia, Fall 2013
Although we live in a time where we are constantly making technological advances in medicine, most of the world has an alarming amount of women and infants dying from childbirth complications. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), “every minute, at least one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth.” Based off of the current population, approximately “287,000 women are dying each year.” The infant mortality, like maternal mortality differs from country to country for example, according to The World Factbook, Afghanistan has a rate of 119 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the USA has only 6 deaths per 1000 live births.
There are several reasons to why infants die for example, congenital defects (such as cleft lip or palate, down syndrome, and heart defect) premature births (where the baby is less than 37 weeks old and without the proper equipment, the chance of a premature baby surviving is very small) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, prolonged birth, and other issues with the umbilical cord, placenta and the membranes inside the uterine wall. In About.com’s article, the highest amount of infant deaths in 2005 came from congenital defects.
But the only real reason why these children and mothers do not survive are because they most likely live in a developing country where they have very little to no prenatal care, family planning, proper medical equipment, and medical supervision. However, entrepreneurs and innovators have made it a mission to create the equipment that a Community Health Worker or a family member can use to protect the lives of these women and babies in need.
Although we live in a time where we are constantly making technological advances in medicine, most of the world has an alarming amount of women and infants dying from childbirth complications. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), “every minute, at least one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth.” Based off of the current population, approximately “287,000 women are dying each year.” The infant mortality, like maternal mortality differs from country to country for example, according to The World Factbook, Afghanistan has a rate of 119 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the USA has only 6 deaths per 1000 live births.
There are several reasons to why infants die for example, congenital defects (such as cleft lip or palate, down syndrome, and heart defect) premature births (where the baby is less than 37 weeks old and without the proper equipment, the chance of a premature baby surviving is very small) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, prolonged birth, and other issues with the umbilical cord, placenta and the membranes inside the uterine wall. In About.com’s article, the highest amount of infant deaths in 2005 came from congenital defects.
But the only real reason why these children and mothers do not survive are because they most likely live in a developing country where they have very little to no prenatal care, family planning, proper medical equipment, and medical supervision. However, entrepreneurs and innovators have made it a mission to create the equipment that a Community Health Worker or a family member can use to protect the lives of these women and babies in need.
About 10% of the births, worldwide, each year have potentially serious complications. A device built by a car mechanic named Jorge Odon was given a challenge by a friend, to remove a cork from inside wine bottle without breaking it. He woke up in the middle of the night and told his wife that, that technique he found to remove the cork could be used in childbirth. The next day by using his daughter’s doll for the trapped baby, a fabric bag, and a sleeve sewn by his wife he created The Odon device. This device cost very little and it doesn’t need any special training in order to know how to use it, which will make it perfect to use for low and middle income countries, and midwifes. He then was able to introduces his invention to the W.H.O. where he won their enthusiastic endorsement, some donors, and an american medical technology company decided to license it for production.
It has the potential to decrease the risk of fetal-maternal injuries and provides an option where only cesarean section is the only plausible way for the infant to survive, it can help with physiologic development of the second stage of labor, increases the contraction forces and maternal pushing efforts, and reduces the probability of having a prolonged birth. The device is meant to be a modern version of forceps. It’s main function is to help the infants head pass through the birth canal. Some women in developing countries have “pelvis[es] [that are] too small or immature, perhaps due to youth, or to malnutrition that stunts normal growth.” These women with small pevises can develop obstetric fistulas, which left untreated leads then to become shunned from their community, and it accounts for 8% of maternal deaths.
Currently, there is further research that has to be done on the Odon device. The research entails what they call a “two phase study.” First, the technology will be tested for safety; this is already taking place in Argentina and rural South Africa. This device could help countries reach the 5th Millennium Development Goal.
Not only are there low cost devices being created to improve the safety of childbirth, but there are also low cost devices to improve the probability of an infant's survival. A neonatal incubator, provides thorough care to infants by maintaining the perfect temperature in order for them to grow, and thrive. Incubators are very effective in providing intensive care to premature babies including temperature control and breathing. There are different types of incubators that help premature newborns who are facing specific health risks. Like for example infantAIR. This device treats neonatal respiratory distress. Essentially, it keeps the baby’s lungs inflated to make it easier for the infant to breathe. Some research points out that between 5 to 10 percent of all premature newborns require support to begin breathing at birth.
The introduction of incubators plays an important role in supporting the lives of many children’s around the world, especially in low-income countries. For instance, the introduction of cheap incubators such as Embrace which helps mothers in poor countries when they fail to afford hospital incubators. Research shows that 92% of premature babies are born in low-income countries and 99% of premature babies die due to poverty and lack of access to health care facilities.
Due to the high cost of incubators, hospitals in low income countries cannot afford them. Therefore, low cost alternatives have been invented like Embrace. A social enterprise that aims to help millions of vulnerable babies through a low cost infant’s incubator. Embrace works by using a phase change material that helps heat the baby, preventing the baby from dying of, for example, hypothermia. The phase change material packet is placed inside a sleeping bag like container that has no seams making it easy to sterilize. Sterilization of equipment, especially incubators, is very important. By creating it without seams the inside can be easily cleaned out and the possibility of bacteria being stuck in the seams is decreased. The phase change material has a melting point of the human body temperature, it can be reheated by placing it in hot water, the material will melt and sustain this temperature for up to 4 hours. Unlike traditional incubators that cost up to $20,000, the Embrace Infant Warmer costs less than 1% of the price. Embrace is unique because it can work with or without electricity, it is portable, and is safe to use. This makes Embrace very convenient for many different types of people.
TED TALK video
The Kangaroo Mother Care, is an evidence based nurturing technique for low birthweight babies. It contributes into helping save newborn babies by implementing the importance of skin-to-skin contact. By wrapping the baby (naked, not wrapped in a blanket) against their mother’s chest immediately after birth and as continuously as possible, can “reduce deaths in preterm babies by 50%”. A 2010 study found this method to be even more effective than most incubators-when placed in an incubator a baby is often colonized by bacteria that is slightly different from their mothers, which can make the infant unstable.
Prenatal Sprinkles are micro encapsulated micronutrient powder for both pregnant and lactating women. These sprinkles contain iron, folic acid, and calcium all which are essential in the diets of mothers/mothers-to-be. Iron helps blood carry oxygen for both the mother and baby, folic acid helps prevent neural tube birth defects (affecting the brain and spinal cord), and calcium is also important as it helps prevent the loss of bone density and also helps the baby with its own bone growth. “The prenatal supplements are to be taken by pregnant women in rural settings and can potentially reduce maternal hypertensive disease related mortality by 20% and preterm birth by 24%”.
Another great maternal innovation comes in the form of a blood mat, which was created by Dr. Quaiyum in Bangladesh to reduce maternal mortality. “In Bangladesh, where more than 70 percent of births take place at home, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) accounts for almost a third of all maternal deaths.” The mat is placed under the pregnant woman when giving birth which will than capture and provide a visual depiction of the amount of blood lost during delivery. The mat itself holds a maximum of 500 mL of blood and when it begins to leak past 400 mL it is a visual signal that the woman is experiencing (PPH), requiring immediate medical treatment.
The birth of a baby is a cheerful and joyous event therefore, “the better protection of infant life is one of the most intricate and difficult of modern problems.” Each year, families all over the world bring home a healthy baby who has all the “potential for a full and productive life, however the baby’s survival shouldn’t be taken for granted” because many will suffer the loss of their child soon after birth. This is where the inventions and innovations will come into play and potentially save the mother and the infant's lives. We live in a century where every single bit of knowledge we as a species have been able to accumulate can be found on the palm of our hands but women and babies are still dying because they lack proper tools to survive childbirth. Therefore, it is critical that we make an effort in spreading the word of these innovations not only to help women and children of the world but to encourage future inventors to create even more low cost life saving devices.
Works Cited
(n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2013, from TheFutureOfOurChildren.org:
Chen, J. (Performer) (2010). Jane chen: A warm embrace that saves lives [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_chen_a_warm_embrace_that_saves_lives.html
Garun, N. (2012, April 09). Embrace is a life-saving sleeping bag for infants without access to
incubators. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/international/embrace-is-a-life-saving-sleeping-bag-for-infants-without-access-to-incubators/
Giudice, D. (Photographer) (2013). New york time [Web]. Retrieved from
Incubators.(n.d.).Retrieved from www.drhealth.md/pregnancy-childcare/neonatal-care/incubators/
Jones, D. H. (n.d.). Survivial of the littlest. Retrieved November 15, 2013, from
SignificanceMagazine.org: http://www.significancemagazine.org/details/webexclusive/2123991/Survival-of-the-littlest-Infant-mortality.html
Health Death and Dying, Retrieved from http://dying.about.com/od/pediatriccare/tp/leading_causes_infant_death.htm
Why do so many women still die in pregnancy or childbirth?. World Health Organization. (2013, Aug
21). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/features/qa/12/en/
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