Every Mother Counts

A new CDC report shows that while maternal mortality has improved in the U.S., Black women are being left behind. Black women are still dying at 3.5X the rate of white women from pregnancy-related causes—most of which are preventable. 🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4hJjkNM

“Midwifery-led birth centers provide high-quality, person-centered, and cost-effective care and are a critical solution to ending the maternal health crisis in our country.” Last month, the City of Boston’s Zoning Board failed to grant our grantee partner, Neighborhood Birth Center, the necessary permission to proceed with building their birth center, creating a massive setback after years of organizing and relationship building. Read our founder & president, Christy Turlington Burns, and other supporter and advocate responses to the zoning board’s decision, published today in Boston Globe Media: https://bit.ly/4hKc8Qu

🚨 Maternal health is in crisis. 🚨 In the U.S. and around the world, too many mothers are dying–but this doesn’t have to be the case. Our leaders have the power to make pregnancy and childbirth safer, but they need to hear from YOU. Take 2 minutes to demand action on policies that save lives: ✅ Protect and expand Medicaid coverage, ✅ Pass the Momnibus Act, ✅ Enact policies like federal paid leave, and ✅ Protect and fund critical maternal health datasets and research. Get started: https://bit.ly/3MvuUyF

Though systems and institutions may fall short, around the world, women are showing up for each other. This #InternationalWomensDay, we recognize the midwives, doulas, nurses, doctors, advocates, and mothers who fight every day to ensure pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period are safe for everyone, no matter where they live. They push past barriers every day—because they know that maternal health is a human right. Here’s to those championing women’s health and rights. We will continue to work toward achieving quality and respectful maternal health for all. Want to make an International Women’s Day gift to honor our efforts? Follow this link: https://bit.ly/46qDIN8 Photo: Mom to be Naisula and her mother in the maternity ward at FAME Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania. (Sarah Waiswa, 2024)

Over the past few weeks in the U.S., the current administration has deliberately curtailed health data collection efforts, and key datasets have disappeared. Swipe to learn why this matters for maternal health. Follow this link to call on your representatives to prioritize maternal health and protect health data: https://bit.ly/3MvuUyF

Last weekend, our founder & president Christy Turlington Burns joined birthworkers, advocates, and entrepreneurs at the 4th annual Anarcha, Lucy, Betsey Day of Reckoning! 🧡 The inspiring weekend took place at historic sites in and around Montgomery, Alabama, the nexus of the civil rights movement, and where ongoing fights for civil, voting, and reproductive freedoms are carried on today. It was an honor to join leaders and advocates who are committed to advancing maternal health and reproductive rights and justice, especially as access to resources and institutional supports is increasingly at risk. Convening in the same location where struggles for fundamental rights in the face of unimaginable barriers took place is a reminder of the importance of ongoing commitments to support those driving this work forward. Anarcha Lucy Betsey Monument - The Mothers of Gynecology, Birthmark, Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project, Southern Poverty Law Center, Mama Glow, Terrewode Women's Fund

Our team just wrapped up an illuminating week in Nepal. The EMC team visited two birth centers in Karnali Province, a region with the 2nd highest maternal mortality rate in the country. At both centers, we were warmly welcomed by One Heart Worldwide's (OHW) local partners—including local government leaders, NGOs, health providers, and female community health volunteers who all work together as part of OHW’s Network of Safety model to systematically improve maternal health outcomes. Reaching these remote communities meant traversing the province's mountainous terrain with many narrow, bumpy, and often unpaved roads - highlighting the distance and journey that pregnant mothers and their providers must travel to access and deliver quality care, in a province with some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the country. At the same time, we’re witnessing firsthand how cross-sector partnerships, government investment, and dedicated individuals are essential for strengthening health systems. During the next leg of our trip, we'll head to Madhesh Province to continue learning about the challenges and opportunities to improve maternal health in the country's most densely populated province. We're so grateful for the hospitality provided by One Heart Worldwide and its many local partners and look forward to sharing more.

The past few weeks have seen a rapid number of policy announcements in the United States, many with far-reaching implications for maternal health both at home and abroad. The pace has been particularly destabilizing as many try to make sense of the changes and implications for how care is provided, received, and understood in this country. In the face of the many shifts we have seen and those still to come, we want to assure you that Every Mother Counts remains steadfast in our commitment to our mission to stand by mothers, families, providers, and communities through the maternal health journey. ➡️ Swipe through to read what we’re doing to advance maternal health in 2025 and visit our website to support our work: https://bit.ly/46qDIN8

We're taking our first-ever trip to Nepal! During the next two weeks, we’ll be visiting several maternal health organizations and community-based leaders in the country, including our longtime grantee partner, One Heart Worldwide. Over the past few decades, Nepal has made significant progress in improving maternal health. Despite these gains, maternal deaths remain high due to barriers such as limited access to skilled birth attendants, inadequate antenatal and postnatal care, and geographic challenges, particularly in rural areas where 78% of the population lives. One Heart Worldwide (OHW) is building a strong, locally led health system in partnership with local governments to fill gaps in care and serve the needs of mothers and newborns, ensuring timely medical attention, education, and support are available to remote, underserved areas. Their model, the Network of Safety, is built through community and government participation, and a commitment to local culture, needs, and priorities. Every Mother Counts is proud to partner with and support the work One Heart Worldwide is doing to improve outcomes and experiences of care for mothers across Nepal. 🧡 Follow along as we share more updates! Photo: A Female Community Health Volunteer performs a health checkup at a family home. (One Heart Worldwide, 2023)

Say hi to our two newest team members, Aika Aluc, MPH and Marissah DiLorenzo! 👋 Aika joins EMC as Director, Policy & Advocacy, bringing extensive maternal and child health and public health policy expertise, and will help drive efforts to advance maternal health in the U.S. Marissah joins as Director, Engagement, bringing a wealth of experience in community engagement and strategic partnerships to deepen EMC’s connections and opportunities. Please join us in welcoming Aika and Marissah to the team!