Parenting

Today, You Can Share Your Bump Pic For A Purpose #BumpDay

by Julie Scagell
Image via Shutterstock

We can all do our part to help raise awareness for prenatal care for women

Today is Bump Day, the only day dedicated to help raise awareness about the need for maternal health care worldwide. We were all bumps at one point in our lives, we all needed prenatal care and so did our mothers. But millions of mothers globally still do not have access to proper prenatal care — and it is the difference between life and death.

According to BumpDay.org, #BumpDay is a movement for “social good that shines a light on the crucial issue of maternal health, and raises funds that immediately save lives.” Now in its third year, #BumpDay is a joint project between What to Expect and International Medical Corps aimed at raising awareness and life saving donations to benefit maternal health care here and abroad.

According to the CDC, a healthy pregnancy starts before conception and continues with prenatal care, “along with early recognition and management of complications if they arise. Health care providers can help women prepare for pregnancy and for any potential problems during pregnancy. Early initiation of prenatal care by pregnant women, and continuous monitoring of pregnancy by health providers, are key to helping to prevent and treat severe pregnancy-related complications.”

Bump Day shared some staggering statistics to highlight just how critical this issue is around the world:

-800 moms die every single day from pregnancy and birth complications

-The United States has the worst rate of maternal deaths in a developed country with approximately one death for every 5000 births (that’s two women in the U.S who die every day from complications resulting from pregnancy or childbirth)

-Sixty one percent of those deaths could be prevented with proper care. One third of deliveries around the world happen without any medical help at all

-Globally, one million babies die within the first day of their life

-One in five births happen without a skilled birth attendant

Participating is easy: Post a picture of your pregnancy bump photo on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Feel free to send along a message of support for healthy and safe pregnancies for mothers everywhere, which will help raise awareness for this very necessary cause. Don’t forget to use the #BumpDay hashtag!

Women from all over the world are joining in and standing together to support other women.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BY_BQWvByUw/?tagged=bumpday

https://www.instagram.com/p/BY-_E5VFaOC/?tagged=bumpday

Posting a picture takes less than a minute, but the awareness and donations raised as a result can be the difference in saving the life of a mother and her baby.

Post your #BumpDay picture on your social media platform of choice to bring attention to this devastating issue. You can also donate directly to the International Medical Corps organization.