A report made by the Amnesty International; 'Struggle for Maternal Health: Barriers to antenatal care in South Africa' revealed that:
The report says :40 percent of the deaths are linked to HIV.
Sounds scary?
According to Sharon Dell of University World News, a study by the Higher Education HIV and Aids Programme (HEAids) on HIV prevalence and knowledge, attitude, behavior and practice revealed that Eastern Cape had a high proportion (6.4%) of university students found HIV positive and female students were found to be three times more likely to contract HIV than males, despite the fact that it was more acceptable for males to have multiple partners.
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Maternal Death is when a woman dies during pregnancy or labor, the main causes of maternal death are:
- Non-pregnancy-related infections, mostly HIV
- Obstetric Haemorrhage- excessive bleeding during pregnancy, labor or after childbirth
- Hypertension also known as High Blood Pressure
YOU ASK: How is this all related to me and why should I know about it?
HIV in our country affects the youth more than adult people and because of this and the fact that females have higher chances of contracting HIV than males; young mommies are at most higher risk.
HIV is one of the main causes of Maternal Death, not only does the life of the mother but of the baby too is in jeopardy. However, if you are HIV positive this does not mean you and your baby will die, of course, there are ways you can prevent this from happening altogether.
MANAGING HIV WHILE PREGNANT
It is important to know your HIV status when pregnant, although it is understood that it is your choice to test or not to test for HIV, you need to do so for your baby's sake.This will allow you to get ARV treatment not only for you but to prevent the virus from being transmitted to your baby. This should be done very early during pregnancy.
BREAST FEEDING AND HIV
Breast feeding should be avoided by pregnant women who are HIV, alternatively, formula feeding should be used.Athough breast feeding is much ecouraged for the development of your baby,you are required to feed your baby nothing else during the first 6 months. Going for CD4 count screening at your usual antenatal clinic should help you manage your pregnancy and your level of HIV in your body. A week after birth, you are required to bring your baby to your clinic to be monitored.
HIV positive or not, it is vital to go for your antenatal appointments just to be sure that everything is under control.
It is important to know your HIV status when pregnant, although it is understood that it is your choice to test or not to test for HIV, you need to do so for your baby's sake.This will allow you to get ARV treatment not only for you but to prevent the virus from being transmitted to your baby. This should be done very early during pregnancy.
BREAST FEEDING AND HIV
Breast feeding should be avoided by pregnant women who are HIV, alternatively, formula feeding should be used.Athough breast feeding is much ecouraged for the development of your baby,you are required to feed your baby nothing else during the first 6 months. Going for CD4 count screening at your usual antenatal clinic should help you manage your pregnancy and your level of HIV in your body. A week after birth, you are required to bring your baby to your clinic to be monitored.
HIV positive or not, it is vital to go for your antenatal appointments just to be sure that everything is under control.
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