When Birth is A Burden

Families up in the mountains have an average of six children per family. I came across families with many, many more: nine, 10, 12. Each child just as precious as the next and each child one more mouth to feed and body to clothe. As I have mentioned before, it isn't about material possessions in these mountains, but it is important for children to have food or shoes or be healthy. And US$3-5 a week doesn't go far with so many mouths. A family welcomes many children, but it is hard work.

These families don't family plan or use preventatives. So a few months ago, when a 45-year-old woman was pregnant with her 12th child and was working in the fields, she had a miscarriage. Her daughter found her and took her to the hospital. The hospital wouldn't accept her without a payment of 300 Soles. There wasn't any way to pay that, so she called Peru's Challenge who, from their emergency fund, was able to pay for the mother to be taken care of. But what are all of the other mothers who have similar circumstances doing? What if your body isn't healthy or prepared for a baby? Or you work hard while pregnant? Or you can't afford any help while carrying or having the baby? 

The sad thing is that this has become such an issue that CNN picked it up as a story titled, "Peru Has High Maternal Mortality Rate."  The UN is saying that for every 100,000 births, 240 mothers die. In wealthier America nations, nine mothers die for every 100,000 births.  Between the lack of resources for families, working conditions for these women and the health care systems, there are a lot of odds built up against you as a pregnant woman in the rural areas. 

I am so thankful for Peru's Challenge's ability to help the mother in the fields that day. We need to make it possible for mothers to have a child and not have such scary numbers in their face.