Maternal & Infant Health Consulting

NEW RESEARCH: Causes of maternal deaths Key takeaways: 🔹 Haemorrhage - severe bleeding - is still the leading cause of maternal deaths globally. most of these deaths occur in the postpartum period when timely care is critical. 🔹 Hypertensive disorders are the leading cause in Latin America & the Caribbean. 🔹 Health conditions, including both infectious and chronic diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, anaemias, and diabetes, underpin nearly a quarter (23%) of pregnancy and childbirth-related mortality. This research highlights urgent gaps in maternal health and the need for stronger health systems to support healthy pregnancies, births and postnatal care. This #WorldHealthDay, let’s commit to: ✅ Expanding access to life-saving maternal care. ✅ Investing in postpartum health & long-term well-being. ✅ Ensuring policies protect women’s health & rights. 📄 Read the full study: https://bit.ly/4ky3ya4 👏 Congratulations to HRP colleagues Jenny Cresswell, Doris Chou, Ann-Beth Moller and Lale Say for their important contribution to this critical research! #HopefulFutures #SRHR #HealthForAll

Consultant Shout Out: Shoshana K Goldberg, PhD MPH Shoshana has led M&IHC projects with the FDA, Population Services International, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, The World Bank and many more. 🎤 We adore working with her because not only is she is brilliantly using her PhD from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to deeply understand the data, she also uses her heart. She aims to truly understand context so that she can create evidence based solutions. ❤️ We highly recommend that you #HIRE Shoshana for any of your consulting needs - especially if your aim is to support: #LGBTQ+ health; Sexual and #reproductivehealth and justice; #familyplanning; #abortion; and/or social determinants of health. 🇺🇸 🌍 Check out some of her impactful work: https://lnkd.in/ekTi_kTn

Over the past week, the new U.S. administration has issued sweeping policy changes to foreign aid, including a 90-day freeze on foreign assistance funding—effectively dismantling USAID and the global foreign aid infrastructure. These changes will have devastating consequences. In the realm of family planning and reproductive health alone, the Guttmacher Institute estimates that during this freeze, 11.7 million women and girls will be denied services, resulting in 4.2 million unintended pregnancies and, tragically, 8,340 maternal deaths. What is the purpose of these policy changes? In his remarks after being sworn in, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated: “Anything that makes us stronger, safer, or more prosperous will be our mission, our job across the world.” We share these goals, and foreign aid is central to achieving them. U.S. assistance builds stability, strengthens democracies, improves health, and reduces the spread of terrorism. It also fosters economic growth by creating and expanding trade markets. Foreign aid is not charity but a strategic investment in global security and prosperity.   We remain committed to these global goals through scholarship and science for social change at the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health (WHGI). Our work provides evidence-based solutions that empower communities and drive policy action. Through research on the Demographic Dividend, we provide high-quality data to help countries achieve population-driven economic growth. The Challenge Initiative (TCI) helps local governments scale up high-impact interventions that save lives. Performance Monitoring for Action (formerly PMA2020) delivers critical, real-time data to inform local and national policies. In November 2025, the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP)—the world’s largest convening on family planning and reproductive health—will take place in Bogotá, Colombia, under the theme: “Equity Through Action: Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All.”   In this moment of uncertainty, WHGI is stepping up to convene the broader global community for urgent, solutions-driven discussions. In the coming weeks, we will leverage our platforms and partnerships to serve as a neutral convener, bringing together diverse voices for deep, strategic conversations on protecting and strengthening reproductive health and rights worldwide. The Family Planning News Network (FPNN) will soon launch a storytelling advocacy campaign to elevate the voices of those most affected by these cuts and highlight their consequences.   It is easy to feel overwhelmed and distracted in times of chaos and uncertainty. But now is the time to act. We must remain steadfast, united in purpose, and committed to our community’s collective goals. By staying focused and empowering people worldwide to do the same, we can rise above the uncertainty and make a meaningful impact on the lives of millions who depend on this work.

President Trump has moved to reinstate the harmful global gag rule. As our Acting Co-CEO Destiny Lopez explains, the sole purpose of this policy is to export US anti-abortion ideology to the rest of the world. Our research shows that the gag rule has disrupted essential reproductive health services in low- and middle-income countries and hindered progress on SRHR globally. We know from the last time Trump imposed this policy, in 2017, that the gag rule’s harm to reproductive health is far-reaching and long-lasting. Our research has documented its severe ripple effects, including stalling and even reversing progress in expanding access to modern contraception in countries like Ethiopia and Uganda. Now history will sadly and shamefully repeat itself, and people in many countries will find it harder to access safe abortion, contraception and other critical health services. Read the full statement: https://gu.tt/42haMss #GlobalGagRule #ReproductiveHealth #ReproductiveRights

In the U.S., the maternal mortality rate remains unacceptably high, and disproportionately so for Black and Indigenous pregnant and postpartum people. And–the vast majority of these deaths are preventable. On this #MaternalHealthAwarenessDay, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is reminding us to look beyond the statistics. The maternal mortality data alone does not capture the immense scope of loss associated with every maternal death. There is so much at risk and we must take immediate action to address the ongoing U.S. maternal health crisis. Join us in calling for sustained commitment to improving maternal health outcomes and follow the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to learn more about what’s at stake.

Hero. Icon. Legend. Warrior. Force. Mother. Friend. Mentor. In her honor, let’s remember Cecile Richards’ words:  “There are no permanent wins and no permanent losses.  We have to fight for every inch of progress, and we can’t take anything for granted. That’s especially true in challenging moments like the one we find ourselves in now. But what a joy and privilege it is to be part of the long struggle to make our country a fairer and more hopeful place.” To keep her spirit alive, let's also take her advice: This isn’t a time to wait for instructions.  This is a time to do more.  Don’t wait for the perfect solution.  We can change this country. #maketrouble #trustblackwomen #allarewelcomehere #carenomatterwhat #reproductiverights #healthequity #genderequity Danielle Marzelli Jessica N. Sanders, PhD Planned Parenthood Federation of America

It's January of 2025: We can't think of a better time to support LGBTQ+ inclusive sexual health education. According to The 2021 National School Climate Survey, only 7.4% of students reported receiving LGBTQ+ sexual health education that included positive representations of both LGBTQ+ and transgender and nonbinary identities. It's time for that to change!

A new piece in The New York Times highlights the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding as an essential building block for sound nutrition. 🤱🏿   In the story, Helen Keller Intl's Chief Program Officer Shawn Baker notes it is "one of the most cost-effective things in all of global development." 🌍   Helen Keller provides counseling and support to 715,000 women and their family members annually on good nutrition, including breastfeeding, so they can make informed decisions about nourishing themselves and their children. 💜🤍   Read more: https://lnkd.in/e6GQCRWT

Fighting malaria just got stronger. 💪     In 2024, malaria vaccines began rolling out to protect the most vulnerable. Here’s what a fully-funded Gavi plans to do next: 🌍 Vaccinate 50M children against malaria by 2030   🔬 Expand local vaccine production   🤝 Strengthen health systems in at-risk regions Together, we can fight back against one of the world’s deadliest diseases. #VaccinesWork #ForOurFuture  

Thanks to philanthropist MacKenzie Scott's $15m donation, Guttmacher created the Monthly Abortion Provision Study. It estimates the number of clinician-provided #abortions taking place in the #UnitedStates, among other important data points. Guttmacher Institute regularly publishes study results on an interactive dashboard designed to make the data widely available to researchers, policymakers, abortion providers and the public. #abortionresearch #data