Every single minute a mother dies in pregnancy or childbirth. 80% of those deaths are preventable.*

According to a story from Women’s Enews, an anti shock device developed to save soldiers in Vietnam has been used successfully to prevent approximately 500 hundred women from succumbing to postpartum hemorrhage.

The anti-shock device that saved Olanna fits tightly around the abdomen and legs. It stems the flow of blood from the body parts compressed under it, which alleviates postpartum hemorrhaging. It also reverses shock, during which the heart, lungs and brain are deprived of oxygen because blood accumulates in the lower abdomen and legs. The garment returns blood to the vital organs, counteracting shock and restoring the pulse and blood pressure.

Postpartum hemorrhaging can occur when there is an infection, when a woman is fatigued after prolonged labor, when her uterus fails to contract after delivery, or when part of the placenta remains in the womb.

It is typically treated with blood transfusions and surgery; two remedies that, combined with six hours in the garment, saved Olanna’s life.

While 1 in 100,000 pregnant women die of postpartum hemorrhaging in high-income countries, 1 in 1,000 do so in low-income nations, according to a 2003 British study.

Inadequate nutrition makes many women more vulnerable to anemia and heavy bleeding, and geographic isolation means that they are more apt to give birth without the help of a skilled attendant. Failure to recognize when bleeding is severe, delays in getting treatment and substandard care when clinics and hospitals are accessible also increase the likelihood of postpartum hemorrhaging.

Add to these issues the fact that many of these women have inadequate access to birth control and and the chance of dying in childbirth becomes even more pronounced.

Antonia blogged on Monday about Make Poverty History and their campaign to ensure that women across the world can choose to become mothers in the knowledge that everything can and will be done to ensure their health and safety. Read the blog and sign the petition.

*from Make Poverty History