1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000
You're watching UNICEF Television.

2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:09,000
The birth of a new baby, a moment of joy and a major milestone in any couple's life.

3
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:14,000
But for some women, pregnancy and childbirth can be a matter of life or death.

4
00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,000
In Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, the problem is a serious one.

5
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000
The infant mortality rate here is nearly double the national average,

6
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,000
and the statistics for women are not much better.

7
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,000
UNICEF, with funding from Australia and the UK,

8
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,000
is working with midwives and at health centers in communities like this one

9
00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,000
to save mothers and their newborns.

10
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,000
But it's not an easy task.

11
00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:46,000
There's a lot to do, actually, in changing the behavior and changing the perception

12
00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:56,000
about the delivery, that pregnancy is actually a high-risk situation for mothers,

13
00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,000
although it is a normal delivery.

14
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,000
At this clinic in the capital, Kupang,

15
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:05,000
dozens of pregnant women come in each week to be examined by a trained midwife.

16
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,000
22-year-old Maria is expecting her first child.

17
00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000
Here at the clinic, she is seen by midwife Selika Primus.

18
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,000
And the results of a routine blood test are in.

19
00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,000
Maria needs iron supplements, not an unusual problem in pregnancy.

20
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,000
But if Maria did not see a professional,

21
00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,000
her health and that of her unborn child would have suffered.

22
00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:37,000
Many women in Indonesia still go to traditional birth attendants

23
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,000
who are not trained to deal with difficult pregnancies and births.

24
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,000
She says sometimes these birth attendants tell the mother to push too early.

25
00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,000
Then they face a serious problem.

26
00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,000
She says the women often end up coming to her,

27
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,000
and by then they are very tired and weak.

28
00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:03,000
Selika has lost count of the number of babies she's delivered over the past two decades,

29
00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,000
but she says the birth of each baby is still a very special event for her.

30
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,000
Her home, which doubles as a clinic,

31
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,000
allows mothers to deliver their babies in a safe environment.

32
00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,000
Chelli, a first-time mother,

33
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:21,000
called the midwife after going into labor just 90 minutes before giving birth.

34
00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,000
Selika rushed home and delivered this healthy baby boy,

35
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,000
all 6 pounds, 8 ounces.

36
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,000
This is Susanna Dain for UNICEF Television.

37
00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,000
Unite for Children.