Pregnant and working in the fields

Women in Nepal do the lion's share of agricultural work and it is common for them to continue working in the fields throughout pregnancy.

In recent years, Nepal has made a big push to improve the health of pregnant women. The government has built new birthing centres and has covered the cost of delivering babies in clinics.

These efforts are working and the country has seen a drop in the number of women dying during childbirth.

But women often continue to do back-breaking work and this can affect their health and that of the unborn child.

Januka Rasaeli talked to BBC News when she was seven months pregnant. Sadly, her baby died at birth, but the child's death was unrelated to her hard work.

Video journalist: Sonia Narang

This report is by PRI's The World with support from the International Center for Journalists. It is part of a series called The Ninth Month.

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