The Motherhood Collective Impact Program is pleased to announce the launch of Safe Motherhood Week 2021, the annual awareness week on maternal and neonatal health. Starting from October 25, the online campaign will run until mid-November.
Our theme this year is the impact of COVID-19 on maternal health and reproductive care, and the need to reduce the information gap on the safety of medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The campaign highlights the importance of maternal health, especially in light of the current pandemic, and we aim to raise awareness of the persistent information gap on the safety of medicines for women and newborns.
Last year Safe Motherhood Week in collaboration with IMI ConcePTION conducted a survey of 416 women and 88 health care providers to identify how needs and preferences in reproductive care have been changing since the Coronavirus outbreak. The survey was translated into 8 languages to reach women from a variety of backgrounds and we received heartfelt responses from women from over 30 countries.
Overall, the survey identified a change in the reproductive care of women during the coronavirus outbreak. Remote care services such as telephone or video consultations with the doctor or midwife were used significantly more and the pregnancy experience of the majority was further impacted. Most of the women were not happy with their experience, and we received several heartbreaking stories about the difficulties they faced, too often alone.
Participate in Safe Motherhood Week:
- Engage with us on social media #SafeMotherhoodWeek and create awareness on the importance of maternal health and the need for more information on the safety of medication use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- Register to Maternal Health Synapse, the mapping and networking platform for maternal health. Join the community and share your work globally.
- Sign up to be notified when the survey publication is available
The online campaign will run through to mid-November. For more information or future collaborations, feel free to contact us.