maternal and child health

When Victoria Ferrell Ortiz had her daughter in 2017, she was covered by a limited form of Medicaid in Texas — which ended just two months after she gave birth. Losing insurance so soon was stressful. She supports a push for Texas to extend Medicaid coverage for a full year after childbirth.

Health & Safety

In Texas, Medicaid ends soon after childbirth. Will lawmakers allow more time?

7:00am March 05, 2023

by Elena Rivera

In Texas, many uninsured people can access Medicaid if they get pregnant. But 2 months after giving birth, the coverage ends. Advocates say new moms need a full year, to improve maternal health.

Race

Novant Health and a/perture cinema aim to raise awareness about Black maternal mortality

3:13pm November 28, 2022

by David Ford

According to data from the Commonwealth Fund, American women already experience the highest maternal death rates among developed nations. Black women are nearly three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.

Health & Safety

North Carolina scores poorly on maternal and child health report card

10:00am November 18, 2022

by Neal Charnoff

The March of Dimes has released its latest Report Card on maternal and infant health.

States with abortion bans tend to have higher rates of child poverty.

States with the toughest abortion laws have the weakest maternal supports, data shows

10:54am August 18, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

Many of the states that are moving to ban abortion tend to have less access to health care, worse maternal and infant health care outcomes and weaker social supports for children and families.

A scene from Midwives: A baby whose face is adorned with thanaka — a kind of sunscreen made from wood bark.

Sundance prize goes to 'Midwives' — about a Buddhist midwife and her Muslim apprentice

8:36pm January 28, 2022

by Malaka Gharib

The documentary follows a Buddhist and a Muslim — who don't always get along — as they provide health care to Muslim women and children despite growing political and religious tensions in Myanmar.

Addario's coverage of maternal mortality took her to a remote village in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan in 2009, where she photographed a midwife giving a prenatal check in a private home. "In these areas someone will announce that a doctor and a midwif

PHOTOS: Why Lynsey Addario Has Spent 10 Years Covering Maternal Mortality

9:19am October 19, 2019

by Emily Vaughn

The Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, known for her work in war zones, turns to a topic that is often shied away from: the risks women face when giving birth.

Mahmee CEO Melissa Hanna (right) and her mother Linda Hanna (left) co-founded the company in 2014. Linda's more than 40 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant helped them understand the need, they say.

This App Aims To Save New Moms' Lives

7:55am August 18, 2019

The startup Mahmee hopes to help OB-GYNs, pediatricians and other health providers closely monitor a mother and baby's health so that any red flags can be assessed before they become life-threatening.

Health & Safety

Guilford County Releases New Health Report

4:58pm July 30, 2019

by Bethany Chafin

A new report outlines health data and trends in Guilford County.

Four-year-old Violet (right) supervises as her mom Margaret Siebers pours a first-ever spoonful of honey for 1-year-old Frances to try. Siebers spent much of the end of her pregnancy with Frances confined to bed rest at her home in Milwaukee.

Rethinking Bed Rest For Pregnancy

5:06am November 26, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

Research indicates bed rest does not improve birth outcomes and can be risky for the mom. So why is it still prescribed by many doctors and midwives for about 20 percent of pregnant women in the U.S.?

Queue Listen Now

A poster put out by the U.S. Children's Bureau in 1918.

Parenting Advice From Uncle Sam

8:10am May 27, 2018

by Rebecca Davis

Nervous mothers and dads once had only family and friends to turn to for advice on kids. Then, in 1912, the U.S. government created an agency devoted to children, and queries from moms poured in.

Queue Listen Now