I have been blessed with 4 wonderful children.  4 pregnancies.  4 deliveries.  And amazing doctors, nurses, and hospitals for the arrival of each one.  Sure, childbirth hurt.  Of course there were some minor complications with each one.  They were minor to me because I had a team of health care professionals in a well equipped hospital to take care of each and every issue that came up.

But my story is not typical.  It may seem a lot like what you experienced, but in reality it’s not what childbirth is like for many women around the world.   Did you know that one woman dies every 90 seconds as a result of pregnancy related complications?  I didn’t.  In fact, hundreds of thousands of women die every year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, making reproductive health problems the leading cause of death worldwide among women ages 15 to 44.  Experts estimate that 90% of these deaths are preventable.

And if you think those statistics are staggering, what about these?  According to a study the National Retail Federation conducted last year, Americans spent $14.6 billion last year on Mother’s Day at restaurants and on clothing, jewelry and flowers. Where did that money go? $1.9 billion went to flowers. $2.9 billion was spent on Mom’s favorite food. Another $2.5 billion on jewelry. The remainder went to clothing or clothing accessories ($1.3 billion), gift certificates ($1.5 billion), personal services such as spa treatments ($933 million), consumer electronics ($906 million) and greeting cards ($671 million).

What if moms got together this year and said “Instead of a big gift for Mother’s Day, buy me a small present and donate the difference to a cause.” Now, wouldn’t that be a great Mother’s Day gift?  If 1% of $14.6 billion was donated—over $140 million dollars—just think about all the good we could do.

Today I’m partnering with moms from all around the blogosphere for Moms4Moms Day to promote an inspiring organization, Every Mother Counts.  Every Mother Counts is an advocacy and mobilization campaign to increase education and support for maternal and child health.  Every Mother Counts seeks to engage new audiences to better understand the challenges and the solutions while encouraging them to take action to improve the lives of girls and women worldwide.  There are three easy ways to make a difference:

1. Make a small online donation
2. Donate your old cell phone (they supply everything and pay the cost of shipping)
3. Tell others about this amazing organization

Join me and Moms4Moms in helping this important cause this Mother’s Day.  Now isn’t that what Mother’s Day is all about?