A million children each year die on the first and only day of their lives, often after their mothers have been left to give birth alone and unaided in the world’s poorest and most remote regions, according to a major new study of global infant mortality.

Urgent action is desperately needed to end the “heartbreaking and unacceptable” toll which it is estimated could be reduced by half through free basic healthcare and midwifery provision.

Most of these babies die within 24 hours as a result of birth complications including prolonged labour and infection, which are treatable provided help is readily at hand.

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But the research by Save the Children estimates that 40 million women receive no trained support during their labour. Two million mothers said they last gave birth completely alone.

Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children said the figures were “criminal” and the solutions well known. “The first day of a child’s life is the most dangerous and too many mothers give birth alone on the floor of their home or in the bush without any life-saving help.

“We hear horror stories of mothers walking for hours during labour to find trained help, all too often ending in tragedy,” he said.

Shape Created with Sketch. Save The Children: More than a million children die on their first and only day of life Show all 25 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Save The Children: More than a million children die on their first and only day of life 1/25 Save The Children Analyn feeds her newborn baby in the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 2/25 Save The Children Midwife Norena Malate delivers the baby of Analyn (18) on the side of the road 3/25 Save The Children Midwife Norena Malate holds a baby who was just delivered on the side of the road 4/25 Save The Children Analyn with her baby, minutes after she gave a birth on the side of the road 5/25 Save The Children Analyn's newborn baby, later named Ryan Jr., is weighed by staff at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 6/25 Save The Children Analyn's newborn baby is wrapped in a blanket by staff at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 7/25 Save The Children Analyn's newborn baby is checked by staff at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 8/25 Save The Children Analyn with newborn baby in the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 9/25 Save The Children Analyn and her husband Ryan watch over their newborn baby at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 10/25 Save The Children Analyn lays with her newborn baby, Ryan Jr., in the home she and her husband are living in since Typhoon Haiyan destroyed their home 11/25 Save The Children Analyn sits with her newborn baby in the home she and her husband Ryan (L) are living in since Typhoon Haiyan destroyed their home 12/25 Save The Children Maricel (35) with baby Dexter (2 weeks) is interviewed by Save the Children health worker Mary Grace Sumayod (24) during a home visit 13/25 Save The Children Maribel (39) is interviewed about the health of her baby boy John (2 weeks old) by Save the Children health worker Desiree (22) during a home visit 14/25 Save The Children Parents wait with their children as Save the Children staff carry out nutrition checks and distribute highly nutritional peanut paste and biscuits for under fives in Palo, near Tacloban 15/25 Save The Children Parents queue with their children as Save the Children staff carry out nutrition checks and distribute highly nutritional peanut paste and biscuits for under fives in Palo, near Tacloban 16/25 Save The Children A mother with her child in their home during a visit from Save the Children's mobile health team. A mobile health team with Save the Children conduct home visits to new mothers and their babies to check up and assist with breast feeding around Palo, outside of Tacloban 17/25 Save The Children Villagers in Calubian Barangay where a Save the Children and Merlin mobile Health team visit 18/25 Save The Children Dr Anna Sucuano (29) a public health doctor from Cavite Province in Luzon, examines a young child. She is part of a Save the Children and Merlin mobile Health team visiting villagers in Calubian Barangay Health Unit outside of Tacloban 19/25 Save The Children Nurse Lenon Bautista (29) from Bicol examines a young child 20/25 Save The Children Mothers with their newborn babies at the Eastern Visayas regional medical center near Tacloban 21/25 Save The Children A newborn baby's health is monitored in an incubator at the Eastern Visayas regional medical center near Tacloban 22/25 Save The Children A newborn baby is resuscitated at the Eastern Visayas regional medical center near Tacloban 23/25 Save The Children A mother and child at an evacuation center in Tacloban, which used to be the city's Convention Centre 24/25 Save The Children Aileen (26) at home with her newborn baby. She and her husband returned to their home which was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan a day after their baby was delivered at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 25/25 Save The Children Children stand outside their home in Calubian Barangay. A Save the Children and Merlin mobile Health team visited the area to provide medical assistance to the villagers in the aftermath of the typhoon 1/25 Save The Children Analyn feeds her newborn baby in the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 2/25 Save The Children Midwife Norena Malate delivers the baby of Analyn (18) on the side of the road 3/25 Save The Children Midwife Norena Malate holds a baby who was just delivered on the side of the road 4/25 Save The Children Analyn with her baby, minutes after she gave a birth on the side of the road 5/25 Save The Children Analyn's newborn baby, later named Ryan Jr., is weighed by staff at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 6/25 Save The Children Analyn's newborn baby is wrapped in a blanket by staff at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 7/25 Save The Children Analyn's newborn baby is checked by staff at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 8/25 Save The Children Analyn with newborn baby in the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 9/25 Save The Children Analyn and her husband Ryan watch over their newborn baby at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 10/25 Save The Children Analyn lays with her newborn baby, Ryan Jr., in the home she and her husband are living in since Typhoon Haiyan destroyed their home 11/25 Save The Children Analyn sits with her newborn baby in the home she and her husband Ryan (L) are living in since Typhoon Haiyan destroyed their home 12/25 Save The Children Maricel (35) with baby Dexter (2 weeks) is interviewed by Save the Children health worker Mary Grace Sumayod (24) during a home visit 13/25 Save The Children Maribel (39) is interviewed about the health of her baby boy John (2 weeks old) by Save the Children health worker Desiree (22) during a home visit 14/25 Save The Children Parents wait with their children as Save the Children staff carry out nutrition checks and distribute highly nutritional peanut paste and biscuits for under fives in Palo, near Tacloban 15/25 Save The Children Parents queue with their children as Save the Children staff carry out nutrition checks and distribute highly nutritional peanut paste and biscuits for under fives in Palo, near Tacloban 16/25 Save The Children A mother with her child in their home during a visit from Save the Children's mobile health team. A mobile health team with Save the Children conduct home visits to new mothers and their babies to check up and assist with breast feeding around Palo, outside of Tacloban 17/25 Save The Children Villagers in Calubian Barangay where a Save the Children and Merlin mobile Health team visit 18/25 Save The Children Dr Anna Sucuano (29) a public health doctor from Cavite Province in Luzon, examines a young child. She is part of a Save the Children and Merlin mobile Health team visiting villagers in Calubian Barangay Health Unit outside of Tacloban 19/25 Save The Children Nurse Lenon Bautista (29) from Bicol examines a young child 20/25 Save The Children Mothers with their newborn babies at the Eastern Visayas regional medical center near Tacloban 21/25 Save The Children A newborn baby's health is monitored in an incubator at the Eastern Visayas regional medical center near Tacloban 22/25 Save The Children A newborn baby is resuscitated at the Eastern Visayas regional medical center near Tacloban 23/25 Save The Children A mother and child at an evacuation center in Tacloban, which used to be the city's Convention Centre 24/25 Save The Children Aileen (26) at home with her newborn baby. She and her husband returned to their home which was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan a day after their baby was delivered at the rural health unit in Tolosa, outside of Tacloban 25/25 Save The Children Children stand outside their home in Calubian Barangay. A Save the Children and Merlin mobile Health team visited the area to provide medical assistance to the villagers in the aftermath of the typhoon

In addition to the one million birthday deaths, 1.2 million babies succumb during labour, the report found. In 2012, 2.9 million deaths occurred within the first four weeks of life, accounting for two in five child deaths.

Despite rapid international progress, which has seen child mortality halved in the past decade, 18,000 under-fives still die each year, mostly from preventable diseases.

Reducing early life and still births in labour is seen as crucial to meeting UN Millennium Development goal targets by 2015. But time is running out and it is feared that progress towards achieving the targets has stalled.

The charity is now urging politicians, philanthropists and those in the global healthcare and pharmaceutical industries to commit to a five- point “newborn promise”.

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The project would see governments promise to tackle the earliest neonatal deaths and to ensure that every birth is attended by a trained health worker by 2025.

Save the Children wants developing countries to increase health expenditure to the World Health Organisation minimum of £40 per person and remove all fees for maternity and newborn care.

Pharmaceutical companies are also being urged to develop new products and to make them available to the world’s poorest families.

Experts say there are a number of simple techniques which could rapidly reduce the death toll. Injections of corticosteroids given to a mother going into premature labour can help a baby’s lungs to develop, giving a greater chance of survival.

Techniques such as kangaroo care in which infants are kept warm through skin-to-skin contact can keep newborns alive in the absence of incubators. An antiseptic gel applied to the cut umbilical cord will also greatly reduce incidence of fatal infection.

Among those factors causing infant first-day deaths were babies being born prematurely or being of low birth weight, the report entitled Ending Newborn Deaths found.

Mothers had typically received poor care and nutrition during their pregnancy.

Children in Sierra Leone experienced the greatest danger on their day of birth with 19 babies in 1,000 dying within the first 24 hours. Following the conclusion of the civil war only one in four mothers had skilled medical attendance during childbirth.

In 2010 the government removed fees for pregnant and lactating women and increased the amount of money it spent on neonatal care. In 2012, six out of 10 births were attended by a trained health worker.

The report noted that much progress had been made in the reduction of infant deaths. But it concluded: “The scale and the inequality of newborn mortality have to be addressed. The incremental changes that we currently see cannot end all preventable child and maternal deaths within an acceptable time frame.”

A spokesman for the Department for International Development welcomed the report. “Ensuring that more babies are born safely and with proper medical care is a central part of our work,” he said. “Since 2011 support from the UK has meant that 1.6 million babies were delivered by trained health workers.”