Leading global health and development agencies today released a new first-of-its-kind implementation guide to help countries provide respectful, dignified care and eliminate mistreatment across maternal and newborn health services: Compendium on respectful maternal and newborn care. Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Newborn health refers to the babies' first month of life.

Understanding the Context

A healthy start in life has significant repercussions for a person's health and well-being during infancy, childhood, and adulthood. Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing We lead WHOโ€™s work on the life course so that every pregnant woman, mother, newborn, child, adolescent, and older person will survive, thrive and enjoy health and well-being. Giving birth in the United States is dangerous, and even more so if you are Black or Indigenous, live in a rural area, or have a low income. Maternal deaths continue to rise, even though the vast ...

Key Insights

Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. Each stage should be a positive experience, ensuring women and their babies reach their full potential for health and well-being. Although important progress has been made in the last two decades, about 287 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2020. This number is ... WHO fact sheet on maternal mortality with key facts and providing information on MDG 4, where deaths occur, causes, lack of care and WHO response.

Final Thoughts

WHO and partners launch global guide to advance respectful maternal and ... The Maternal Health Unit (MAH) provides leadership for improving maternal and perinatal health and well-being and ending preventable maternal mortality. MAH generates programmatic-focused evidence, develops guidelines, norms and standards, and supports regions and countries in adaptation, implementation and monitoring of person-centered quality and respectful maternal and perinatal care ...