On assignment recently, I came upon two maternal issues that have become more interesting to me - maternal deaths and breastfeeding. It just seemed opposite what I have come across in some of my journeys to document urban and rural poverty—how children were always everywhere in the communities I went to photograph. But of course, all these are under the umbrella of maternal and neonatal healthcare.
I remember thinking during a documentary shoot in 2008, as I waded through trash and as I answered some of the inquisitive questions of the young children in Tondo, how easy it seemed to have babies. It never occured to me how in some cases, it is also hard to keep the babies healthy and alive because the mother herself is not healthy. I learned from a recent lecture from Dr. Cayad-an of Unicef, how the Philippines is one of the 68 countries in the world that contributes to 97% of maternal deaths worldwide. And that “50% of neonatal deaths occur in the first two days of life”. Problems in getting proper healthcare for mothers and babies is one glaring issue that surfaced also during this three-day assignment. One public health worker disclosed that a young mother had to wait for three hours for a vehicle to transport her to a hospital or clinic. But by then, she had bled to death. Stories like these are happening. I would like to explore these inter-related issues more in the coming weeks.
Kiamba, Sarangani province, Mindanao, Philippines.
A T’boli mother takes care of her grandchild as her own daughter recovers from giving birth. Sarangani Province, Mindanao, Philippines.
Breastfeeding could make a huge impact on a baby’s health but big milk companies and many biases threaten babies’ lives because mothers do not know or have enough information about what’s best for their children. Poster found in a rural clinic in Sarangani, Mindanao,Philippines.
