SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS -- Jerónima, an indigenous woman from Bachajón, in the highlands of Chiapas, sits in a waiting room, dressed in the traditional clothing of her people: a white blouse embroidered with multicolored flowers, it’s wide neckline trimmed in lace with a blue hem adorned in different colors. The pleats of her multicolored blouse and thick felted skirt make it hard to tell that she is pregnant.
Several months ago, soon after Jerónima became pregnant for the fourth time, her husband abandoned the family. Now, she struggles to provide for her children alone. She is worried about finding prenatal care and a qualified person to deliver her child.
Not long ago, a neighbor went to the hospital to have a child and received a Cesarean section. Due to complications, she went into a coma and was unconscious for over two weeks. Jerónima, afraid that she will end up in a similar situation, left her children in her village and came to San Cristóbal de las Casas for help.
In Chiapas, where the maternal mortality rate is double the national average, Jerónima’s worries seem founded. According to a 2003 article by the Secretary of Social Development of Chiapas, the region of Los Altos, in the Chiapan Highlands, where Jerónima is from, has the highest number of maternal deaths in the state.
While statistics on maternal mortality are both conflicting and underreported in Mexico, a 2006 study authored in part by Physicians for Human Rights, attributes the high death rate to inadequate access to medical attention and a mistrust of the health services that operate in the region.
Jerónima, who was also skeptical of delivering in a hospital, is receiving prenatal care at Luna Maya, a womens’ health center in central San Cristóbal that combines indigenous wisdom with modern scientific methods in order to decrease maternal mortality. “Maternal death and childbirth complications can be prevented with good prenatal care,” says Cristina Alonso, midwife and director of Luna Maya.
Luna Maya trains midwives, provides holistic care to women, offers gynecology and reproductive health services, support for nursing mothers and educational programs about sexual and reproductive rights.
The center both cares for women and informs them of their options. “We women want to be treated like women. We want to be safe and have the space to make our own decisions,” says Alonso.
Originally published 2006 PIWDW
