To Give Birth in Cambodia

I chose to see how people in Cambodia delivered their babies and what their prenatal care was like because I have heard of many charities and organizations that are  focused on helping children there. I don't know a lot about the country in itself, but I had heard that they had a relatively high infant mortality rate, so I was curious to find out more.

After reading from the Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, I was horrified to see that the child survival rate in general is very low. This article states that this is common in countries where there has been civil war and political unrest. Some of the causes are related to education, jobs, healthcare, age of the mothers, marital status, geographic region, access to proper drinking water, and sanitation (Hong, Mishra, & Michael, 2007). It is interesting that these authors combine so many areas of study. It is similar to how we are learning about the many areas of development in early childhood, so all of these factors could very well be what is contributing to the low infant mortality rate and child survival rate.

There are many other contributing factors that could be related to the labor itself. Poor sanitation and access to clean water are just part of it, and something I know we take advantage of in the U.S. Some of these women receive no prenatal care, and even in some cases, where they deliver in hospitals, there are still risk factors. The estimated maternal mortality rate in 2000, was 437 to every 100,000 live births. The children who survive these births are more likely to not make it past age 2 and the ones who survive childhood are less likely to become educated (Koum, Hy, Tiv, Sieng, Obara, Matsui, Fujita, 2004).

My aunt had access to wonderful medical care, some of the best in the country- living near Johns Hopkins; she had clean facilities, prenatal care, a husband who stood by her and encouraged her; a family who supported her and sat with her while she was on bed rest; and family who helped her after she had her son. It seems to be a sad cycle in Cambodia that will not stop unless there is better access to medical care, let alone proper sanitation and clean water.

It is fascinating to see how doctors and other professionals performing these studies look at some of the same developmental factors we are learning about. They are looking at individuals as well as the society as a whole, and looking at how these birthing conditions are affecting the country.

Resources:

Hong, R., Mishra, V., & Michael, J. (2007). Economic disparity and child survival in Cambodia. Asia-          Pacific Journal of Public Health, 35, 37-44. doi:10.1177/10105395070190020701.

Koum, K., Hy, S., Tiv, S., Sieng, T., Obara, H., Matsui, M., Fujita, N. (2004). Characteristics of antepartum and intrapartum eclampsia in the National Maternal and Child Health Center in Cambodia. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 30, 74-79. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/.