The last couple of months have been pretty good for me. I managed to run my first 10k of 2015, although the next one is likely to be 2016 as I still can’t feel my legs. I’ve also now got the point where I no longer need various apps on my smartphone to navigate London (oh what’s that you say, Charing Cross, you need the Bakerloo line mate) and finally, FINALLY, I can now make the perfect poached egg (it doesn’t sound like a big deal but trust me, it is).

Although as life changing as all of this is, this isn’t the reason as to why life has been pretty good for me recently. For that there’s just one.

Towards the end of February, for the very first time, I became an uncle to the most beautiful little girl you’ll ever see. At nearly two months old she's already looking around by herself, making weird noises and even weider faces (her Elvis impression is my favourite). It’s tough being away from the little one, so much so that my sister has set up a Whatsapp group, just so I can receive daily videos and pictures.

Looking through the hundreds of photos I already have on my smartphone, I realise how lucky I am to be an uncle to this perfect girl. There were some slight complications that meant that my sister had to be induced nearly two weeks early. I can’t begin to imagine how my sister felt when she was told, but for me, I couldn’t help but panic. Why so early?  We were told by the doctors that this was a pretty routine exercise and that it would be safer for the baby this way, but somehow my mind always went to the worst of places.

All the worry was over nothing, and mother and baby are as healthy as ever. But that experience has made me reflect somewhat on newborn health across the world. My family were lucky when we were told there could be slight complications. We were in a sterilised maternity hospital surrounded by experts who had done this a million times before. Having the NHS meant that my sister had 24 hour round the clock care and attention from some of the best doctors and nurses in the country, and all without spending a penny in on-the-spot costs. But not everyone is as lucky or privileged as us.

I can’t get over the fact that giving birth in developing countries can be a game of Russian roulette for some women. Children’s chances to survive and thrive have significantly improved over the past 15 years, with child mortality rates dropping by almost 50% since 1990. Still, every year nearly 300,000 mothers die from complications during childbirth, while 2.9 million newborns die within the first 28 days of their lives. The dramatic improvements in mortality rates of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years has not been matched by the newborn category. 40% of deaths under 5 are now in newborns.

Later this year the leaders of the G7 countries are meeting to discuss many issues. We want maternal, newborn and child health to be top of that agenda. My sister was lucky; she had everything she needed. But there are many who aren’t so fortunate. Take action and sign our petition to tell the leaders of the G7 that you want maternal, newborn and child health to play a significant role in the discussions, so that together we can ensure that giving birth in the developing world isn’t a game of life or death.