Hail mothers for their sacrifices

Childbirth is not just the ultimate labour of love, but also the ultimate sacrifice because anything can happen in a labour room. Therefore, it is always a blessing to celebrate mothers as they constitute the channels through which life starts. 

Their selfless desire to carry and bring lives into the world and cater for them until their offspring become responsible adults, make them very special and they will forever occupy special places in the hearts of children, in particular, and humanity in general.

The exceptional roles mothers play in bringing lives into this world and continue as parents are remarkable and worthy of praise. Indeed, in the traditional African society, this truism has been recognised for ages, this being the reason we celebrate childbirth with so much fanfare

Mother's Day is a global holiday that takes place on different days in spring, depending on where you live. In most countries, including Ghana, Mother’s Day is observed on the second Sunday in May. 

Mother's Day is a celebration honouring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers on society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honouring family members, such as Father's Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents Day.

Mothers sacrifice and remain focused to work hard to support their partners, or singlehandedly (in the case of single mothers) nurture and bring up independent, responsible children.

 This may seem obvious, but it takes real focus to successfully go through the upkeep and the upbringing of children.

It is unfortunate that in their efforts to bring lives into this world, some mothers end up losing their lives, which medical experts say should not be so. 

At the launch of this year’s national celebration of the International Day of the Midwife at the Jubilee Park in Tamale, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Ghana, Ms Erika Goldson, made some startling revelations.

She said more than 300,000 women died each year during pregnancy and childbirth worldwide; while 309 out of every 100,000 live births in Ghana faced similar circumstance, adding that approximately three million babies did not survive the first month of life and another two-and-a-half million babies were stillborn globally. 

On this unique occasion, the Daily Graphic adds its voice to suggestions by Ms Goldson for the expansion of midwifery programmes, maintaining the highest global standards, and promoting an enabling environment for midwives to effectively serve the needs of women and their families.

The Daily Graphic acknowledges the important roles mothers have played and continue to play in our lives, and would want to use the occasion to urge the government, agencies, and governmental and non-governmental organisations to continue to support our mothers. While wishing all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day, Daily Graphic wishes to urge them to take their professions seriously, by working hard and taking positive steps to make progress in life to enjoy peace and prosperity.