Bangladeshi birth attendants

In Bangladesh, life's now better for new mothers. Thirty percent of Bangladeshi women have their babies at home. This can be dangerous.

Now, there are some new helpers. They're 'Skilled Birth Attendants' and they have an important job.

The helpers first do some training. They help when the baby arrives. They can help pregnant women before the baby's birth too. Some pregnant women have problems. The Attendants, like Nargis Akhter, send those women to hospitals.

"We classify pregnant women first whether it's a normal pregnancy or a risky pregnancy. Then, if found risky, we tell them not to try for the delivery at home in any way, rather to go to the developed hospitals at Upazila level or district level. Sometimes, I take them to those hospitals myself."

The Skilled Birth Attendants started working 20 years ago. Now, the World Health Organisation says the situation's different. It's safer for mothers and babies. The Attendants stopped mothers and babies from dying.

Abdullahel Maruf's a doctor.

"And per year we are achieving 6 percent less maternal deaths. And if we follow this trend or a bit better, then we can surely achieve SDG [Sustainable Development Goal] in our scheduled time or tentative time by 2030."

In the countryside, things are changing too. There's a campaign to help pregnant women. It wants women to have their babies in a clinic.

Mafia's first baby died. With her second baby, the clinic and Nargis helped her.

"My first delivery was at home, by the midwives. They don't have all the facilities with them. They try their best with whatever they have. My first baby died because of time. If the delivery could have been made on time, maybe she would've survived." View Less