Listening to Mothers II Survey and Report (2006)


Childbirth Connection's landmark Listening to Mothers I survey (2002) was the first time that women in the United States were polled at the national level about their maternity experiences. Listening to Mothers II, a national survey of women who gave birth in U.S. hospitals in 2005, continued to break new ground. In addition to documenting many core items measured in the first survey, the second survey also explored earlier topics in greater depth and some new and timely topics.

Topics covered in Listening to Mothers II report include:
  • Planning for pregnancy and the pregnancy experience — prenatal care, childbirth education, TV shows depicting birth and more
  • Women's experience giving birth — caregivers, labor induction and other interventions, feelings while giving birth, vaginal and cesarean births, and more
  • Home with a new baby — breastfeeding, physical well-being, mental health and more
  • Experience with employment and health insurance
  • Choice, control, knowledge and decision making — who should make decisions, knowledge needed for decisions, pressure to have interventions and more
  • Some important variation — comparisons between women with vaginal birth and cesarean section, first-time and experienced mothers and by race/ethnicity.

Childbirth Connection's Listening to Mothers II survey was conducted by Harris Interactive and carried out in partnership with Lamaze International.

The Quick Links box, above, provides access to the Listening to Mothers II report without charge, along with other related documents. You can also get a copy of the Executive Summary by itself, an overview of the methodology for the Listening to Mother II survey, the questionnaire used for the survey and the data files, a comparison of the survey population to childbearing women nationally, and the report press release.

The Listening to Mothers II National Advisory Council provided guidance on the development, implementation and reporting of the Listening to Mothers II survey. Council members and the organizations they represented at the time of their participation are listed here.

In 2007, DONA International awarded Childbirth Connection its John Kennell and Marshall Klaus Award for Excellence in Research in recognition of the Listening to Mothers II survey.

listening to mothers II report
Free download of Listening to Mothers II
Free download of
Listening to Mothers II (PDF)



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Childbirth Connection is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1918 as Maternity Center Association. Our mission is to improve the quality of maternity care through research, education, advocacy and policy. Childbirth Connection promotes safe, effective and satisfying evidence-based maternity care and is a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families.
Most recent page update: 4/10/2013