(First published January 13, 2010) Nepal has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Each year, more than 6,000 women die during childbirth. Most of them give birth at home, without the help of a skilled or even a trained attendant. Maheshwori gave birth to her first child at age 16. The birth occurred in a cowshed and took three days, as the baby was breach. The community thought she would die. Pregnant with her second child, she is three days past due for the birth.
