Lost Mothers
Maternal Care and Preventable Deaths
The U.S. has the highest rate of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth in the developed world. Half of the deaths are preventable, victimizing women from a variety of races, backgrounds, educations and income levels.
Featured
We’re Investigating How Insurance Gaps Endanger Mothers. This Is Why.
Women are getting kicked off Medicaid quickly after giving birth or aren’t qualifying for care to begin with.
Nothing Protects Black Women From Dying in Pregnancy and Childbirth
Not education. Not income. Not even being an expert on racial disparities in health care.
Lost Mothers
An estimated 700 to 900 women in the U.S. died from pregnancy-related causes in 2016. We have identified 120 of them so far.
The Last Person You’d Expect to Die in Childbirth
The U.S. has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world, and 60 percent are preventable. The death of Lauren Bloomstein, a neonatal nurse, in the hospital where she worked illustrates a profound disparity: the health care system focuses on babies but often ignores their mothers.
Other Entries
The New U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Fails to Capture Many Deaths
Since 2007, the government had held off on releasing an official estimate of expectant and new mothers who died from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. It waited for the data to get better. But the new, long-anticipated number falls short.
“Landmark” Maternal Health Legislation Clears Major Hurdle
In the wake of the ProPublica and NPR series “Lost Mothers,” the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill to fund state committees to review and investigate deaths of expectant and new mothers.
Trusted Health Sites Spread Myths About a Deadly Pregnancy Complication
From the Mayo Clinic to Harvard, sources don't always get the facts right about preeclampsia. Reached by ProPublica, some are making needed corrections.
New York City Launches Initiative to Eliminate Racial Disparities in Maternal Death
A Central Brooklyn hospital featured in ProPublica and NPR’s “Lost Mothers” series for its high hemorrhage rate will serve as a pilot for quality reforms.
ProPublica’s “Lost Mothers” and “Walking While Black” Named NABJ Awards Finalists
Two ProPublica projects were named among this year’s finalists for the National Association of Black Journalists’ Salute to Excellence Awards.
U.S. Senate Committee Proposes $50 Million to Prevent Mothers Dying in Childbirth
After years of Congressional inaction, legislators in both parties want to back efforts by states and hospitals to reduce the U.S. maternal mortality rate, the highest in the developed world.
Video: How More Midwives May Mean Healthier Mothers
When it comes to midwife use, the U.S. falls behind other affluent countries. A deeper look at history explains why.
Redesigning Maternal Care: OB-GYNs Are Urged to See New Mothers Sooner and More Often
Sweeping changes in medical practice could improve the dismal U.S. rate of maternal deaths and near-deaths, an influential doctors’ group says.
ProPublica/NPR Collaboration a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting
The project, "Lost Mothers," is one of nine ProPublica Pulitzer finalists in 10 years of publishing.
Here’s One Issue Blue and Red States Agree On: Preventing Deaths of Expectant and New Mothers
From Indiana to Oregon, lawmakers are passing bills to increase scrutiny of maternal deaths. Often, they’re citing our “Lost Mothers” series.
How We Collected Nearly 5,000 Stories of Maternal Harm
Asking if readers knew women who died or almost died in childbirth drew an outpouring that carries lessons for both traditional and engaged journalism.
A Larger Role for Midwives Could Improve Deficient U.S. Care for Mothers and Babies
According to a new study, states that give midwives a greater role in patient care achieve better results on key measures of maternal and neonatal health.
Maternal Deaths Are Increasing in Texas, But Probably Not as Much as We Thought
A statistical jump in the mortality rate of expectant and new mothers over 40 is “biologically implausible,” according to the co-author of a new study.
How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers
A ProPublica analysis shows that women who deliver at hospitals that disproportionately serve black mothers are at a higher risk of harm.
How We Measured Birth Complications
Here’s the methodology for our analysis of birth complication rates.
Severe Complications for Women During Childbirth Are Skyrocketing — and Could Often Be Prevented
The rate of life-threatening complications for new mothers in the U.S. has more than doubled in two decades due to pre-existing conditions, medical errors and unequal access to care.
Black Women Disproportionately Suffer Complications of Pregnancy and Childbirth. Let’s Talk About It.
We started with 10 women who faced six different maternal complications.
New Jersey Bill Would Create Commission Empowered to Probe Deaths Related to Pregnancy and Childbirth
Spurred by ProPublica and NPR’s reporting, New Jersey lawmakers are moving to tighten requirements to report maternal deaths, investigate their causes and identify ways to prevent them.
