Beginnings: Pregnancy, Childbirth and Beyond

Cassimo Bique, an OB-GYN, sits with traditional birth attendants in Mozambique. Bique is an advocate for the drug misoprostol, which can prevent postpartum hemorrhaging in women. Andrea Hsu/NPR hide caption

Many of the women in the community called "The 25th of June" began childbearing as teenagers in Mozambique. They all say that soon after their first periods, they took part in an initiation ritual called okanone that taught them about sex. Andrea Hsu/NPR hide caption

Long after midnight, 5-year-old Rajani is roused from sleep and carried by her uncle to her wedding. Child marriage is illegal in India, so ceremonies are often held in the wee hours of morning. It becomes a secret the whole village keeps, explained one farmer. Stephanie Sinclair/National Geographic hide caption