As a mom blogger, I believe it’s imperative to share important and vital information. It’s the reason I got into blogging in 2007. I wanted to have a voice. I wanted to share. I wanted to communicate with other moms.

Today I want to talk about Merck for Mothers.

Merck for Mothers is Merck’s 10-year, $500 million dollar initiative to create a world where no woman dies giving life. Drawing on Merck’s history of discovering innovative, life-saving medicines and vaccines, Merck for Mothers is applying the company’s scientific and business expertise – as well as its financial and human resources – to reduce maternal mortality around the world. Merck for Mothers is focused on access to quality care, product innovation, and awareness and advocacy.

As a mom of 5, I not only want to share this information, I need to share it… it’s that important to me.

Did you know that in the U.S.:
· The rate of deaths from complications of pregnancy and childbirth has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. Most of these deaths are preventable; and
· In the U.S more than 50,000 women a year, one every 10 minutes, nearly die from complications of pregnancy or childbirth

Can you believe this happens here?

Here in the United States.

Here in our own cities and towns.

I was shocked and – quite frankly – horrified to see these statistics. It scared me. I just had my baby girl this past July and for the first time ever, had some complications. My blood platelets were low right after giving birth to my daughter. I remember the nurse saying to me, “Did anyone tell you they were low?” Immediately I got nervous. “What’s low?” I asked. She told me they were around the 80 mark, and that they should be up near 200. For the next 3 days, I needed to get my blood tested to see if there was any improvement… slowly they started to climb, but I swear – the nurse that I had – she was an angel. She noticed it and monitored me around the clock. It’s things like that that can go from minor to serious pretty quickly, especially after having a c-section.

I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with 2 amazing women last week about Merck for Mothers, which has officially launched in the U.S.
1) Dr. Priya Agrawal, Executive Director of Merck for Mothers and obstetrician/gynecologist regarding a women’s health issue impacting women around the world and here in the U.S.
2) Alma Roberts, President and CEO, Baltimore Healthy Start, one of the partners in the U.S. program.

These 2 women were exceptional to talk to about their passion and love for Merck for Mothers.

They touched my heart in so many ways, sharing their vision and why this is so necessary to make known to women and men in the United States. Dr. Priya Agrawal shared with me about Merck for Mothers’ initial commitment of $6 million to programs in the U.S. focusing on decreasing the number of women in the U.S. who die or suffer from severe complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. As part of this multi-year program, Merck for Mothers is collaborating with national and local partners focused on improving maternal health.

According to Merck for Mothers Executive Director, Dr. Priya Agrawal, leading risk factors are:

* Severe high blood pressure during pregnancy and childbirth (also known as pre-eclampsia)

* A life-threatening blood clot (also known as embolism)

* Excessive bleeding during/after giving birth (also known as post-partum hemorrhage)

Pregnant women should also talk with their health care provider about pregnancy complications to learn more about:

1. The warning signs of pregnancy complications

2. The risk factors for developing complications and what can be done to reduce risk

3. Future health implications associated with the complications for which pregnant women are most at risk

When I read all of this, it truly got me thinking… as women, we need to share this information. Nobody knows their body more than YOU. I brought this up to some of the moms at school pick-up last week and it was like a secret society… everyone had a story, everyone knew someone who had a problem. It was insane. It was crazy insane. Here we are, living in this technology world with information at our fingertips… and we are STILL having these issues with maternal mortality.

Enough is enough.

The passion of Dr.Priya Agrawal fueled me. I want to do what I can to help decrease these stats.

In Alma’s words: “Nothing reinforces it more than hearing it from a peer.”