| In my first article I described the dangers of early | | | | answer is try to ensure that everybody, "Knows the |
| teenage marriages. In this - my second article - I | | | | Truth" about tetanus infection, and that |
| describe three common and deadly risks of | | | | mothers-to-be are encouraged to obtain tetanus |
| pregnancy that affect millions of low-income, illiterate | | | | vaccination before the baby is born. |
| girls and women living in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh | | | | The third common risk is pregnancy complications. |
| and other developing countries. I also explain how to | | | | Some complications are deadly. Most signs of |
| make their pregnancies safer. | | | | complications are not difficult to notice, but many |
| The first common risk during pregnancy is lack of | | | | girls, women (and men) do not know the truth about |
| adequate weight gain. The cause is often lack of | | | | them. We can save the lives of many pregnant |
| correct knowledge. Millions of mothers and | | | | women and their newborn babies if we ensure that |
| mothers-to-be are told to eat less than usual while | | | | everyone "Knows the Truth" about the most |
| pregnant to avoid a difficult and painful birth. The | | | | common obstetric complications and how to obtain |
| result is an undernourished pregnant woman with | | | | help promptly from a trained birth attendant. |
| poor weight gain who delivers a Low Birth Weight | | | | Why do I say that everyone - not only girls and |
| baby (less than 5.5 pounds) who is also | | | | women - should know the dangers of pregnancy? It's |
| undernourished - consequently the baby has poor | | | | because health knowledge is useful for everyone. For |
| immunity to infection. The poor immunity means that | | | | example, most poor, illiterate girls and women in |
| a simple cough could quickly lead to pneumonia and | | | | developing countries receive their health knowledge |
| early death. How to prevent malnutrition during | | | | from their mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, |
| pregnancy? Everyone, including pregnant girls and | | | | female cousins in their extended households and from |
| woman, should "Know the Truth" about the | | | | their husbands. When those people know the true |
| importance of eating a little more food - not less - | | | | facts, they will be exchanging correct advice that can |
| during pregnancy because the mother must "eat for | | | | lead to better health and greater chances of survival |
| two". | | | | for the mothers and their newborn babies. |
| The second common risk is lack of vaccination | | | | In article 3 I'll explain about the dangers of giving birth |
| against tetanus. Many poor or illiterate women are | | | | at home in developing countries, and how a few |
| unaware of the great benefit of tetanus vaccination | | | | simple measures can make those births safer. And in |
| for herself and for her unborn baby. Tetanus | | | | a later article I'll explain the communication system |
| infection is particularly common during home deliveries | | | | that I recommend to help illiterate people "Know the |
| where conditions are unclean. And tetanus in a | | | | Truth" about safe motherhood. |
| newborn is usually fatal. What to do? Again, the | | | | |