Listening to Mothers IV

COMING SOON: Fourth National Listening to Mothers Survey

Thanks to the generous support of a group of national funders, Listening to Mothers IV is underway! The first of two questionnaires is currently in the field, and we will share results beginning in early 2025. A rich combined data set will be freely available to interested researchers for secondary analyses at the end of the project. More information will be available in the coming months. Sign up for updates.

Cropped shot of an adorable baby girl in her mother's arms

About the Survey

  • Nationwide survey of 3,500 individuals who gave birth in 2023
  • 30-minute questionnaire, followed by another several months later incorporating topic priorities of the Listening to Mothers Advisory Council
  • Oversampling of Indigenous and Asian childbearing people for the first time, in addition to capturing Black and Latina experiences
  • Survey conducted in English or Spanish, on any device, or by a trained interviewer
  • Questions span the prenatal, birthing, postpartum, and infant periods. Topics include:
    • Care team and prenatal through postpartum services
    • Respectful / disrespectful care
    • Maternal mental health
    • Availability and use of parental leave
    • Impact of COVID
    • Unmet social needs
  • Many demographics, including new single-question format plus identification of specific communities for ascertaining race and ethnicity in federal surveys
  • Tailored community outreach and engagement

About the Partners & Advisors

  • Listening to Mothers Advisory Council (LTMAC)

    • Micaela Lara Cadena, Health Policy Researcher and Advocate
    • Nicole Deggins, CNM, MSN, MPH, Founder and CVO, Sista Midwife Production
    • Erin Gildner, MPA, Director, Chapter Relations, United Spinal Association
    • Nicolle L. Arthun, BSN, RN, MSN, CNM, FACNM, CEO, Transcending Strategies LLC, Founder, Changing Woman Initiative
    • Whitney Hunter-Batteast, Founder & CEO
    • Jennie Joseph, LM, CPM, Founder and President of Commonsense Childbirth Inc.
    • Lety Knight, CPM, Borderland Midwife
    • Mashariki Kudumu, MPH Kudumu Partnerships for Equity and Justice, Founder and Principal Consultant
    • Frankie Robertson, MPA, Founder and President of The Amandla Group, Founder and Doula, Black Joy
    • Wengora Thompson, MPH, DrPH
    • Sophia Tupuola, Mama, Warrior, Community Expert
  • Boston University School of Public Health Team

    • Eugene R. Declercq, Ph.D., M.B.A. Professor, Boston University School of Public Health, investigator on all previous Listening to Mothers survey
    • Collette N. Ncube, DrPH MPH MS Assistant Professor, Epidemiology Boston University School of Public Health
    • Ruby Barnard-Mayers, MPH Epidemiology Doctoral Candidate Boston University School of Public Health
  • Market Decisions Research

Funders

California Health Care Foundation logo
The Commonwealth Fund logo
Merck for Mothers logo
The David and Lucille Packard Foundation logo
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation logo
Skyline Foundation logo
W.K. Kellogg Foundation logo
 

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