Som’s baby died moments after he was born because help was too far away.

Laos. It’s a beautiful country. Its landscape is dominated by the twists and turns of the Mekong River and hills that seem to go on forever.

But in the remote villages that sit within those hills — accessible only by uneven, red dirt roads — there are devastating stories of loss. Stories like Som’s.

Som’s baby died moments after he was born because help was too far away. Som gave birth to her son in the middle of the night, on the floor of her mum’s house.

There was no midwife there to help her, and she had no way of getting to a hospital.

Her husband desperately tried to find a car to take them, but when he returned to the house, Som had to tell him their baby was already gone.

She didn’t even get a chance to hold him in her arms before he died.

“I miss my baby. I carried him inside me for a long time. I gave birth to him. I wished he could have lived… I wonder what he would be like now.” – Som, 25, Laos

“It doesn’t matter how long they lived, even if it was just one day. They are my children… and I miss them.”

Preventable maternal and newborn deaths shouldn’t be happening. Anywhere.

That’s where you come in. Save the Children Australia trains new midwives to save the lives of mothers and babies, but they need donations to keep up this vital work. Donate to their newborn appeal today and help mothers like Som.

You have the power to change the story.