The Problem: Untreated maternal mental health means worse health outcomes for moms and babies
Substance Use Disorder Hurts Moms & Babies
The Problem: Health care and support for pregnant people with substance use disorder are inaccessible and inequitable, and instead they are shamed, stigmatized, and punished.
Incarceration Harms Moms & Babies
The Problem: Mass incarceration is hurting pregnant people and their infants.
Racism Hurts Moms and Babies
The Problem: Racism is hazardous to the health of pregnant people and their infants
Higher Temperatures Hurt Moms and Babies
The Problem: Our climate is getting hotter and it risks the health of moms and babies
Intimate Partner Violence Endangers Pregnant People and Their Infants
The Problem: Violence against pregnant people inflicts lasting harm on them and their babies
Paid Leave Is Essential for Healthy Moms and Babies
The Problem: The lack of national paid leave compromises the health and well-being of pregnant people and their infants
Homelessness Hurts Moms and Babies
The Problem: The homelessness crisis is worsening and imperils pregnant people and their infants.
A Systemic Failure: Immigrant Moms and Babies Are Being Denied Health Care
The Problem: Many immigrants are denied access to health care, leaving moms and babies at risk
Improving Our Maternity Care Now
These four models of care share characteristics that distinguish them from the typical maternal care currently available in the United States.
Improving Our Maternity Care Now – Executive Summary
Four care models decisionmakers must implement for healthier moms and babies
Improving Our Maternity Care Now – Recommendations
Congress can play a pivotal role in addressing the maternal health crisis and supporting evidence-based models that improve the health of mothers and infants — particularly in communities that are suffering from deep structural inequities.
Spotlight on Success: The Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Initiative
The Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Initiative was a federal five-year, multi-site project to test and evaluate enhanced prenatal care interventions for women enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) who were at risk for having a preterm birth. One of the first Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation initiatives, it launched in 2012 to test three models of enhanced prenatal care among Medicaid beneficiaries: birth centers, group prenatal care, and maternity care homes. Midwifery-led care in birth centers generated stellar results, whereas results of the other two care models were underwhelming.
Spotlight on Success: Commonsense Childbirth
Commonsense Childbirth is a midwifery-led practice in Orlando, Fla., that provides a range of clinical and support services to any pregnant person seeking care.
Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing
By routinely intervening in labor and delivery in ways that interfere with innate biological processes, the country’s maternity care system is missing opportunities to provide better care and use resources more wisely.
Blueprint for Advancing High-Value Maternity Care Through Physiologic Childbearing
The Blueprint for Advancing High-Value Maternity Care Through Physiologic Childbearing aims to chart an efficient pathway to a maternity care system that reliably enables all women and newborns to experience healthy physiologic processes around the time of birth, to the extent possible given their health needs and informed preferences.
Black Women’s Maternal Health – 2018 version
Black women in the United States experience unacceptably poor maternal health outcomes, including disproportionately high rates of death related to pregnancy or childbirth.
Publications Using Listening to Mothers Survey Data
Data from Listening to Mothers surveys has been further analyzed by experts and academics over the years to identify evidence-practice gaps and make international comparisons.
