Every Mother Counts

Amy Logan’s many interests are right up our alley.  As a journalist and photographer, her work has appeared in many major publications covering women’s issues and travel.  As an author, her novel, The Seven Perfumes of Sacrifice reveals the history and culture behind honor killings, which still occurs today in some cultures where women have limited human rights.  Her newest venture, as a life coach, aligns with our January focus on new beginnings. Many of us set new goals in January, but by February, they’re history. Why is it so hard to see goals through to fruition? We asked Amy:

What’s the secret to setting, sticking with and achieving a goal? 

Amy answers, “Setting and accomplishing goals are habits anyone can learn. We set goals all the time to some extent, but like a muscle, our goal setting abilities can be exercised deliberately, made stronger and more effective. Researching and writing my novel, The Seven Perfumes of Sacrifice, was easily the biggest goal I’ve ever attempted next to raising my son (and I did them simultaneously!).

Amy shares 14 tips for how to set achievable goals:

1. Ask yourself: Which goals are most important to you? Which ones light you on fire? Passion and purpose are what you’re looking for. Ideally, your goal doesn’t require much discipline, because you’re so passionate, you can’t not do it.
2. Include a goal to “be” something, not just to “do” something. If you frame your goals in the context of who you want to be, it shapes you in many subtle ways. For example, I wanted to be a women’s human rights defender. That inspired me to write a book, lend support, form relationships, advocate and lead as a lifestyle. My goals are not just what I do when I’m focused on them. They are indistinguishable from who I am all the time.
3. Choose authentic goals that are not aimed to impress others or to reassure yourself you’re good enough, but goals that will grow you. These “learning goals” will inspire you because there’s no way to fail at them. I started my novel with an intense curiosity. I really wanted to know the origins of honor killing since it was such a perplexing social problem to me. I was compelled by compassion for women and girls who live under its threat and fascinated by how the violent practice became normalized in the cultures where it occurs. I felt instinctively that it wouldn’t stop until it was thoroughly understood. This learning goal inspired me all through researching, writing and publishing my novel. I learned more about the world and myself in the process – things I couldn’t even have set goals for since I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
4. Prioritize your goals by your desire to reach them.
5. Choose a manageable number of goals to go after at one time. It’s better to set a couple and achieve both than to set ten and achieve only one.
6. Be specific about your goals to eliminate wiggle room. If your goal is “lose weight,” you’ll find ways to avoid it because there’s no deadline or amount of weight specified. “Lose five pounds by February 1st” – now that’s clear!
7. Break your goal into doable bite-size steps. Check them off as you go so you can see your progress.
8. Connect daily to WHY you want to achieve these goals – it’s the fire you are stoking. Meditate ever day for five to ten minutes on your goals. Allow whatever wants to come up to do so.
9. Create supportive structures to emblazon your goal in your consciousness. I change my most-used passwords to something that represents my current goal. Get creative to keep your goal front and center.
10. Imagine achieving your goal. Get into a quiet, focused, meditation-like presence and visualize that it’s completed. Feel it. Use all your senses. Experience what it is like to be there. Do this whenever you feel your motivation flagging.
11. Study experts. Research shows that studying those who are experts at what you’re trying to accomplish helps you achieve your goal.
12. Ask for help. Find people who will support you fiercely and lovingly throughout the process of achieving your goal. Hire a life coach, recruit a family member or friend or join a group, but make sure you engage someone who won’t let you settle for less than your goal.
13. Make it fun! Find creative ways to add pleasure, joy and delight to your goal to reinforce your motivation and commitment.
14. Once you’ve achieved your goal, celebrate it, reward yourself, and really feel what you’ve accomplished. Contemplate what you’ve learned during the journey about yourself. Who did you have to be to make this happen? How have you grown as a result? Live in that for a while. Because I achieved my goal, I now have a degree of courage and confidence in myself I never imagined. 

We've got Secretary Hillary Clinton’s brain on our minds and in our hearts. Not only because it’s been a hot topic all over the media, but because we can’t think of many women whose intellect, wisdom and thought processes we admire more.  Its hardly a secret that Secretary Clinton's long been a leading advocate for women’s rights and maternal health, speaking out and driving attention to a subject we’re all passionate about.  In June, she announced the launch of the Saving Mothers, Giving Life project that Every Mother Counts is a founding partner.  We like to think of ourselves as players on the same team. We’re Hillary’s teammates and we are rooting for her full recovery.

But about Hilary’s brain - that blood clot she suffered as a result of her concussion could have had a tragic outcome.  When clots like that happen to some people, they have a stroke, which can leave them disabled or dead.  Fortunately, Hillary benefitted from excellent healthcare and we’re relieved she’s out of the hospital and on the mend.  She’s even planning on returning to her Washington office next week as she heads into her home stretch and final weeks as Secretary of State.  We’ll miss her sensible and eloquent voice, her advocacy for maternal health and women everywhere, her no nonsense attitude and the occasional glimpse that reveals of just how fun she is.  We know that whatever role she takes on next will be just as powerful (maybe more so) and forceful in making the world a better place. 

Hillary’s health crisis has left many people asking questions, including:  What’s so bad about a blood clot?  What exactly is a stroke anyway?  What’s the difference between a stroke and an embolism?   What does any of this have to do with maternal health?  We’ll tackle these one by one:

What’s so bad about a blood clot?

Whenever a blood vessel is inured and bleeds, whether that’s from a paper cut, bonk on the head or childbirth, clotting factors (plasma proteins) in our blood stop the bleeding.  Blood clots or congeals (think Jell-O, which goes from liquid to solid) and creates a dam that prevents more blood from leaking out.  It’s a genius healing mechanism, except when that blood clot forms in a dangerous area and breaks loose. In Hillary’s case, blood vessels were injured when she fell and banged her head.  She received a concussion, which is like a bruise to the brain and her body stopped her from having a dangerous amount of bleeding (hemorrhage) by forming a clot in a blood vessel behind her ear.  Normally, our body processes and eliminates these clots efficiently, but if it travels through a blood vessel, it can block circulation to the brain.   That’s called a stroke. 

What’s a stroke?

A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked or severely reduced. When that happens, brain tissue doesn’t get enough oxygen or nutrition and brain cells die.  The extent of brain damage and disability or death depends on what part and how much of the brain is affected.  Hillary Clinton didn’t have a stroke because doctors gave her blood thinners to dissolve the clot.  Her brain is as brilliant as ever. 

What’s an embolism?

An embolism is an obstruction of a blood vessel caused by a clot, fat, air or other foreign substance.  When that clot (or whatever) moves through a blood vessel, it can block circulation just like in a stroke. Embolisms can be fatal and are a contributor to many sudden maternal deaths. The plural of embolism is emboli.   There are three major types of emboli that affect the general population:

1.     Arterial embolism blocks blood flow in a major artery.  If that artery is in the brain, it causes a stroke.  If it’s in another part of the body (say, the groin, leg or l vital organ) it can cause tissue death rapidly. 

2.     Gas emboli are caused by compressed respiratory gasses in the blood and body tissues caused by rapid changes in environmental pressure, like when you’re flying or diving.  It causes bubbles to form in blood vessels, which can block blood flow.

3.     Pulmonary embolisms affect approximately 600,000 Americans every year and about 60,000 of those will die, usually without warning.  It’s caused by a blockage to the main pulmonary (lung) artery, usually by a clot that travels from a vein in the leg or pelvis. 

The type of embolism that applies most directly to maternal health is called an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE).  These are rare, but can kill a mother quickly and without warning.  An AFE happens when amniotic fluid, fetal cells, hair or other tissues enter the mother’s blood stream, block circulation and cause cardiac and respiratory failure. Between 80 and 90% of AFEs are fatal.   It’s difficult to estimate exactly how often this happens because in many parts of the world, the cause of maternal death isn’t determined or recorded.  It’s estimated, however, that AFE happens in 1 out of 8,000 to 30,000 pregnancies. Approximately 46 women in the US die annually from AFE.  Unfortunately, AFEs are considered unpredictable and unpreventable. 

We’re grateful Hillary came through her health crisis safely.  We are excited to watch what she does going forward and no matter what role she takes on next, we’ll continue to be proud to work on the same team. 

In 2012 thousands of miles were run so vulnerable mothers won't have to when they need critical maternity care.  Watch this new "Why We Run" video to see how the efforts of Team Every Mother Counts are helping mothers overcome obstacles that are often the difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands of women living in rural communities and developing countries. You can help too by running, walking or biking and choosing Every Mother Counts on the Charity Miles App. Together, we can make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all moms!