Even though the whole world has progressed to the point that the society isn’t as gender biased as it once was, the rates of mortality in adults are unfortunately considerably lower than they were a century ago. Although that fact itself is saddening to say the least, even more heart wrenching is the fact that where infant mortality rate was once 1 in 4 is now 1 in 10 – possibly worse depending on locality too.
What Is Infant Mortality?
Infant mortality is an umbrella term used for the bereavement of young children – one year olds or younger. The largest contributor to IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) is premature birth. Other contributors include pneumonia, prolonged labour, asphyxia, malnutrition, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), among many other causes.
Preventable Causes of Infant Mortality
In addition to the aforementioned causes and contributors of infant mortality, there are several more that can easily be avoided for the sake of the embryo. A large amount of the population is considerably taking up these safety measures to help lower the chances of their infants dying. Given below are different causes of infant mortality which are preventive in the power of the parents.
Smoking during Pregnancy
One of the most prevalent causes of infant mortality is when the mother refuses to give up the habit of smoking during pregnancy. In the olden days, smoking and other such habits were scarcely seen in women normally, let alone during their pregnancy months.
However, with the rise of such habits, more and more women seemingly take up the habit of smoking and do not give it up even when they are pregnant. The saddest part about this is that regardless of whether the mother smokes occasionally or regularly, many pregnancy ultrasounds fail to show the effect of it until the child is born.
Healthcare Infrastructure
A century ago, the medical industry was not as developed as it is now. This was a leading contributor to infant mortality rate due to the fact that the mother was not provided with the healthcare that is necessary, nor did they have immediate access to a doctor – hence, endorsing premature birth.
In this day and age, although there are several cases of teenage pregnancies, women still have the privilege of visiting a doctor to help their cause in most circumstances. Visiting an eligible pregnancy doctor, showing up to appointments and taking medication if necessary is extremely crucial to the health and wellbeing of the mother and the baby.
The Level of the Mother’s Education
100 years ago, women were unlikely to receive quality education and while many were unaware of the outcome of this, this also happened to be one of the major contributors of infant mortality rate. In this day and age, more and more women make it a point to receive higher education which has helped lower infant mortality rates by quite a margin.
This is because women who receive secondary education are more likely to be considerate about the age that they have their first pregnancy at and are also more likely to ensure that they receive prenatal and postnatal care. They also ensure that they give birth in the presence of a qualified attendant.
