10 Reasons to Celebrate the Health of Moms—and Those Working to Improve Maternal Health—this Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day 2012 provides a good occasion to celebrate accomplishments in the field over the past year. The Maternal Health Task Force shares ten exciting developments.

1. The State of the World’s Midwives report provided the first comprehensive analysis of midwifery services in countries where the needs are greatest.
2. The MHTF & PLoS launched an open-access collection on quality of maternal health care.
3. UNICEF & UNFPA launched the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities, to increase access to maternal, child, and newborn health commodities.
4. Joyce Banda, an advocate for women’s health & rights, became Malawi’s first female president.
5. The White Ribbon Alliance, along with many partners, developed the Respectful Maternity Care Charter: The Universal Rights of Childbearing Women.
6. Direct Relief International, Fistula Foundation, & UNFPA partnered to develop the first-ever Global Fistula Map, outlining the global landscape of the issue.
7. The first-ever estimates of preterm birth rates by country were published in a new report, Born Too Soon: A Global Action Report on Preterm Birth.
8. Save the Children’s 13th State of the World’s Mothers report focused on nutrition during the period from pregnancy through the child’s 2nd birthday, the first 1,000 days
9. The World Health Organization added Misoprostol to the List of Essential Medicines, a critical step toward preventing post-partum hemorrhage.
10. Melinda Gates announced plans to help raise $4 billion to dramatically increase access to family planning around the world by 2020.

Please add to the list in the comments!