For the Week Ending June 24, 2018.
Maternal mortality rates in rural India were among the highest in the world. Women and young girls usually gave birth at home, were almost constantly pregnant, and had little to eat. But thanks to a doctor from Chicago, those mortality rates have plummeted. The effort focused mostly on education and cultural change rather than direct medical intervention. Now women get pregnant later in life (like out of their teens), wait between pregnancies, and the whole family knows that the mother needs to get nutritious foods to keep the babies healthy.
This is important for you because social change can be hard to achieve, but can be remarkably effective.
Cleo, a “parenthood transition startup,” is an app that helps employers help their new-parent employees get back to work. It connects the new parents with financial advisors, health care providers, babysitters, and any other experts they need as they navigate this new phase of their (working) life. Pinterest, Slack, and Reddit are among the companies that offer the service. Read more here.
This is important for you because becoming a new parent is hard, and will affect your work life. It’s great that some employers can help ease the transition.
Pregnancy discrimination is illegal in this country. It is also widespread. This is true across the board; at public and private, white collar and blue collar, physically demanding and desk jobs. Women are getting sick of it – lawsuits addressing the issue are increasing. Read more here.
This is important for you because feminism has made amazing strides – but there are still battles to be fought.
Amtrak has just added four new Mamava nursing pods. The newest is in Chicago’s Union Station. Read more here.
This is important for you because it is nice to know that you can nurse comfortably and privately on the road.
Whereas midwives traditionally only delivered babies, as the midwife at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C., Loral Patchen also helps teenagers negotiate sex, relationships, and birth control – and her actions prevent teen pregnancies. Read more here.
This is important for you because it is super inspiring how she is using her training to help kids in need and make a difference.
