Beating Grim Odds of Childbirth, May 2011

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Credit: Maggie Fick

The maternity ward at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital in Kano, Nigeria. An expectant mother in northern Nigeria faces higher risks in childbirth than in most other places in the world, according to international public health surveys.
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Credit: Maggie Fick

Childbirth management posters remind healthcare workers how to handle a birthing procedure known as "active management" to help prevent post-partum bleeding.
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Credit: Maggie Fick

Establishment of the maternity blood bank at the hospital has been key in reducing maternal mortality. The leading cause of maternal death in northern Nigeria is post-partum hemorrhaging, which is more prevalent in mothers who have given birth many times and with short intervals between deliveries.
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Credit: Maggie Fick

The sheer numbers of babies born annually in northern Nigeria to impoverished mothers, who often begin child bearing as young as 15, poses an ongoing challenge to healthcare providers.
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Credit: Maggie Fick

Nurses say the hospital's antenatal care program focuses on quality and aims to reduce hospital visits to ease the burden on expectant mothers who may be traveling from a remote village or even a neighboring state. About 350-450 patients turn up each week and are divided into groups based on how many babies they have previously delivered.
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Credit: Maggie Fick

Men are prohibited from the maternity area of the hospital.