Welcome to ChildbirthConnection.org, your source for trustworthy up-to- date evidence-based information and resources on planning for pregnancy, labor and birth, and the postpartum period. Childbirth Connection is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1918 as Maternity Center Association. Our mission is to improve the quality and value of maternity care through consumer engagement and health system transformation. Childbirth Connection promotes safe, effective and satisfying evidence-based maternity care and is a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families. Learn more About Us.



95 Years of Transforming Maternity Care



For the past 95 years, Childbirth Connection has been dedicated to improving the quality and value of maternity care for all women and their families. Our mission is timeless and the time to give is now. Learn more about our rich history through our interactive timeline and give $95 for 95 in honor of our 95th birthday. Help us to transform maternity care before we turn 100!
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In Listening to Mothers III: New Mothers Speak Out, 1072 of the 2,400 women who had participated in the initial Listening to Mothers III survey share their postpartum experiences and views about many aspects of maternity care. The data from this follow-up survey, in combination with the initial data set, reveal that women face many challenges after birth concerning their health, support systems, and employment, as well as gaps between their reported preferences for care and the care they actually receive.
Download the full report
Read the press release
Access data briefs, survey methodology and other supplementary files


Listening to MothersSM III: Pregnancy and Birth - 1st Report (May 2013)

Listening to Mothers III is the third of a series of national surveys that explore women’s experiences from before pregnancy through the months after birth. Commissioned by Childbirth Connection, conducted by Harris Interactive, and funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the survey polled 2,400 women who gave birth in U.S. hospitals from mid-2011 to mid-2012. Major survey findings show that a medically intensive experience continues to be the norm, and evidence-based practices are underutilized. Childbearing women need better support and knowledge to effectively navigate the maternity care system.
Download the full report
Read the press release
Access data briefs, survey methodology and other supplementary files


Maternity Care and Liability: Pressing Problems, Substantive Solutions

This comprehensive report from Childbirth Connection examines a longstanding concern in maternity care: medical liability. Reviewing the best available evidence, it shows that many widely held beliefs about maternity care and liability lack empirical support. Despite these troubling findings the report offers potential solutions, identifying 10 supported strategies for reform. Simultaneous with release of the full report, Women's Health Issues published three related peer-reviewed articles and an invited commentary by legal scholars.
Download the full report (PDF)
See the quality improvement strategies (PDF)
Get the fact sheets (PDF)
Access resources from Women's Health Issues


The Cost of Having a Baby in the United States

Commissioned by Childbirth Connection, Catalyst for Payment Reform, and the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, this in-depth report examines the many areas of maternity care that impose high costs on women and payers, often regardless of quality or value. The many separate analyses provided in the study compare cost by method of delivery, insurer status, service type, phase of care, geographic location, year and other relevant variables from across the maternity care spectrum. The conclusions of the report highlight the need to better align maternity care payment and quality.
Download The Cost of Having a Baby in the United States, full report (PDF)
Download the Executive Summary (PDF)
Read about this on the TMC Blog
Lea rn more about payment reform to align incentives with quality


Cesarean Section Resources for Women and Health Professionals

Childbirth Connection has released a scientific report on c-sections as well as a consumer booklet to reflect the growing body of available high-quality research. For health professionals, the best evidence review Vaginal or Cesarean Birth: What Is at Stake for Women and Babies compares health outcomes between cesarean delivery and vaginal birth, and highlights clinical and policy strategies to curb overuse of c-sections. For women, What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Section summarizes the risks and benefits of c-section, encourages shared decision making, and assists with planning to prevent unnecessary cesareans.
Download the full evidence report (PDF)
Download the executive summary (PDF)
Access the booklet for women and companion web resources



News and updates from Childbirth Connection

A high-quality, high-value maternity care system is within reach, and childbearing women are the most important stakeholders to drive system change.


Childbirth Connection brought together more than 100 health care leaders – from delivery systems, providers, and consumers to health plans and purchasers, liability insurers and quality experts – to develop two direction-setting reports, "2020 Vision for a High-Quality, High-Value Maternity Care System" and "Blueprint for Action." These reports were the culmination of over two years' collaborative multi-stakeholder work aimed at reversing troubling trends and achieving high-quality, high-value maternity care.

Transforming Maternity Care offers full access to these reports and tracks and coordinates efforts to implement recommendations. Visit the site today to learn how you can be part of the transformation.

Also be sure to visit the Transforming Maternity Care Blog. The blog highlights innovative quality improvement efforts, introduces readers to inspiring leaders, analyzes health care trends, and shares opportunities and resources. Join the conversation to transform maternity care.

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Help Transform Maternity Care!

Help Transform Maternity Care!For the past 95 years, Childbirth Connection has been dedicated to improving the quality and value of maternity care for all women and their families through research, education, advocacy and policy. Join our continuing efforts to make quality maternity care a top priority for policymakers, public and private purchasers, health care providers, and women themselves. Learn more about Transforming Maternity Care, and please consider a donation to help support it!




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© 2013 Childbirth Connection. All rights reserved.

Childbirth Connection is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1918 as Maternity Center Association. Our mission is to improve the quality and value of maternity care through consumer engagement and health system transformation. Childbirth Connection promotes safe, effective and satisfying evidence-based maternity care and is a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families.