While the U.S. as a Whole is Dubbed the Deadliest Place to Give Birth in the Developed World, California Maternal Death Rates Have Fallen

According to the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, the Golden State has seen maternal mortality decline by 55 percent between 2006 to 2013. This stands in stark contrast to the national averages for the U.S., with a recent investigation by USA Today indicating that maternal death rates have steadily increased during that time. While California is the birth state for 1 in 8 infants in the U.S., it stands to make a large impact on the health of delivering mothers.

California’s efforts to cut their maternal mortality rate in half began with a look back at the history of prenatal care. By the 1960s and 70s (and holding true today), the U.S. prioritized infant survival over maternal care, as reported by NPR. In 2006, California formed a maternal mortality review committee to access details on how every mother had died over the previous five years. They found that two well-known complications, hemorrhage and preeclampsia, contributed to many of the deaths and could have been prevented through early detection, teamwork and practiced treatment plans. Today, the California collaborative brings standardized approaches to emergencies in maternity care, which include training drills for doctors and nurses and toolkits, similar to cardiac arrest crash carts, stocked with life-saving supplies. A study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that California hospitals signing up to implement these toolkits saw a decrease in maternal morbidity due to hemorrhage by nearly 21 percent.

If you lost a loved one during the labor and delivery process, please call us at 877-262-9767.

 

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