Breathe
By Ángeles Aguilar
I've been thinking about you a lot lately... What have you come to show me?
I theorize about the size of your hands and how today they would squeeze at least two of my fingers. I see you next to me, lying in the garden on your embroidered blanket, the one left in the closet.
I spend a good part of my mornings imagining your face and I can't help but grimace stupidly as I draw the shape of your gaze, your lips, your chin and the fine fuzz of your hair.
I remember you floating peacefully, and my heart leaps as I bring to the present the rhythmic force of your palpitation. I reconstruct all the dreams that were suspended before the cold diagnosis: absence of heartbeat.
Today your crib, an immovable altar, has been transformed into a kind of coat rack where the sweaters of the day, receipts to pay, documents to review and a book or two are handed out. Nothing happens. Nothing happened, or at least that is what the social rules dictate, in which the simple fact of talking about a gestational loss is taboo. An unauthorized mourning, in which the bill adds up to millions.
Every year around the world there are nearly 2 million deaths of this type, that is to say, one death occurs every 16 seconds, according to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Similarly, in Mexico last year alone, Graciela Márquez Colín's Inegi recorded 23,541 fetal deaths. This means that out of every 100,000 women of childbearing age, 67.5 suffered the interruption of their pregnancy, counting only those who reached 12 weeks. Those who had an earlier loss do not even enter the statistics.
It is said that most fetal deaths occur early, but this is not always the case. On the contrary, only 27% of them occur between 12 and 19 weeks. And just over 70% occur after the 20th week; what is more, an alarming 35% are reported after the 28th week, when the baby is already viable.
Silence accompanies gestational loss, a mutism impregnated with shame, guilt and doubts. Beyond the diagnosis, not much information is provided. In turn, the patterns show that 5.4% of these deaths are explained by congenital malformations, 8.4% by respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, and 11.2% by the duration of gestation and fetal growth, while an overwhelming 29% fall into the category of other disorders or causes. In other words, in 3 out of 10 cases the reason is unknown.
Despite the statistics, in our country, where today there is a renewed feminist spirit, the reality is that there are no specific programs to prevent this type of incident, let alone subsequent physical and psychological support for aspiring mothers who breastfeed only a broken dream.
The closest thing we have in the Budget is the program for "Maternal, sexual and reproductive health", which, year after year, despite the obvious needs, suffers from a huge under-expenditure. According to data from the Center for Economic and Budgetary Research (CIEP) directed by Alejandra Macias, in 2023 the amount allocated for the aforementioned program was 2,240 million pesos. However, only 816 million pesos were executed; in other words, there was an under-execution of 63%.
There is a huge gap in prenatal care. The WHO itself has pointed out that, although the country has 98% basic coverage, only 71% of women receive adequate prenatal care. There are fewer medical appointments than there should be, as well as ultrasounds and other check-ups.
Likewise, for this year 2024, 2,758 million pesos were allocated for this purpose, 17% more than in 2023. However, these resources will hardly overcome the bureaucratic funnel, especially in the complex electoral year that paused a good part of the projects. In the meantime, more pregnant women could join the sad list of those who, despite not having a baby, cry like mothers for the loss of a child who never opened his or her eyes?
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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