What We’re Reading: An 80-Cent Plastic Bag Is Saving Mothers’ Lives

Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here. In the bag A low-cost, low-tech intervention is saving lives in maternity wards across Africa. As the New York Times reports in a story shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas, the maternal drape is a plastic pouch that can be used to easily measure blood loss. This allows health workers to act quickly in the case of postpartum hemorrhage, which is extremely dangerous. When combined with the necessary treatments, this intervention cut deaths by postpartum hemorrhage by about two-thirds. “The drape is not an A.I. thing — it’s the absolute opposite,” Dr. Hadiza Galadanci, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria, told the Times . “It’s a simple, simple, intervention that can solve our problems.” Michaela says: I had no idea a simple, low-cost plastic bag is saving so many mothers’ lives. Bird’s-eye view In a lighter (but just as surprising) story of lives being saved, googly-eyed buoys are helping prevent seabirds from getting caught in fishing nets. According to a Mongabay story that caught the attention of Editorial Director Rebecca Worby, these devices scare the birds away from the fishing gear. A study off Cornwall, England, found that nets fitted with kites shaped like birds of prey had 71 percent lower odds of catching seabirds, and nets with spinning “looming-eye” buoys had 59 percent lower odds. Becca says: I kinda love these “googly-eyed buoys,” despite their uncanny resemblance to Clippy the paperclip . What else we’re reading The fix for America’s terrible internet is hiding in Tennessee — shared by RTBC Founder David Byrne from Vox What If a Crisis Pregnancy Center Was Pro-Choice? — shared by Editorial Director Rebecca Worby from The Cut The planet’s vital signs are getting worse. One of the easiest fixes is your diet. — shared by Michaela Haas from Grist In other news… Just after last week’s historic midterm elections, we wrapped up The Depolarization Series , an exploration of the many ways people are defying division and really listening to those who disagree with them. You can check out the full series here — and don’t miss the many fantastic videos we shared on Instagram. The post What We’re Reading: An 80-Cent Plastic Bag Is Saving Mothers’ Lives appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful .