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Updates and noteworthy reads all pertaining to the important world of Maternal and Child health

Updates and noteworthy reads all pertaining to the important world of Maternal and Child health

New and Notable in maternal and child Health

Governor Eric J. Holcomb has proclaimed January 23 as Maternal Health Awareness Day in Indiana 

Maternal Mortality Review Board Report

Indiana Infant & Maternal Mortality

Why Doulas Matter:

Doulas can make a positive impact on these numbers. Studies have shown that doula-assisted births are:
  • o Four times less likely to have babies with low birth weights
  • o Two times less likely to experience a birth complication involving the mother or baby
  • o Significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding.
Infant Mortality Rates

Defined as death before a child’s first birthday, infant mortality is one of the biggest indicators of a state’s overall health. The infant mortality rate (IMR) describes the total number of deaths per 1,000 live infant births.In 2020 Gov. Eric Holcomb announced that Indiana’s infant mortality rate fell to 6.5 in 2019 however it increased slightly to 6.6 in 2020. The state’s black infant mortality rate fell from 13.0 to 11.0 in the same time frame, highlighting an ongoing disparity of black babies dying at twice the rate of white babies.

Between 2013 and 2017 the state IMR averaged around 7.3.

For more information on Indiana’s IMR visit the Indiana State Department of Health

 
Maternal Mortality Rates

Maternal mortality is another significant indicator of a state’s overall health. In 2019 Indiana was third in the country with a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 41.4 for every 100,000 live births for white women and 53.4 for every 100,000 live births for black women.

[If there is a source for more information about infant mortality, I’d suggest the same for maternal (link included):]

For more information on Indiana’s IMR, visit the Indiana State Department of Health.

Access Issues

Access to quality prenatal care is essential to having a healthy and safe pregnancy for both mom and baby but not all women receive the necessary care during their pregnancy

 

Here are some facts from March of Dimes regarding prenatal care access in Indiana:
In 2019:
73.4% of live births were to women receiving early prenatal care
20.2% were to women beginning care in the second trimester
6.3% were to women receiving late or no prenatal care
78.5% of live births were to women receiving adequate/adequate plus care prenatal care
5.5% were to women receiving intermediate care
16.1% were to women receiving inadequate care

 

One report found that in 2018 27% of Indiana Counties could be categorized as “Maternal Care Deserts” which is defined as “a county in which access to maternity health care services is limited or absent, either through lack of services or barriers to a woman’s ability to access that care.”

 

The Indiana State Health Assessment and improvement Plan (2018 – 2021) found that approx. 37% of women of childbearing age in Indiana did not live within 30 minutes to a level III or IV birthing hospital.

 

Additionally in 2016 over 30% of pregnant women did not receive prenatal care in their first trimester of their pregnancy.