Technology rushes to fill the ever widening gap in US pregnancy care 

a pregnant woman drinking coffee
February 16, 2023

At a time when maternal mortality is on the rise in the US, one might expect to see more efforts undertaken to curb that trend. Unfortunately, we see the opposite. More obstetric unit closures are taking place in hospitals across the country in an effort to improve their bottom lines. These closures are particularly prevalent in rural parts of the country and are associated with increases in out-of-hospital births and pre-term births, which can further worsen future health outcomes for the birth parent and baby. Labor and delivery unit closures have a disproportionate impact on Black and lower-income populations as well, who already suffer and die at a higher rate due to substandard maternal care. While hospitals continue to shut down units providing essential pregnancy and maternity care, fortunately there may be some additional avenues to consider that can support expectant mothers.

At-home pregnancy monitoring solutions: The pandemic showed us we can do just about anything virtually – including regular monitoring of important vitals and measurements for pregnant women and babies. PregnaScan provides women with the tools to track critical measures throughout their pregnancy and connect virtually with their doctor, who can consistently analyze a soon-to-be mother’s health data and detect potential signs of trouble as early as possible. Similarly, HeraMED has created a sensor to measure an unborn baby’s heart rate and pulse, theoretically avoiding unnecessary emergency room or doctor visits from concerned parents. Although not a replacement for in-person prenatal visits, a simple at-home monitoring system can be valuable in the provision of essential prenatal care and glean important insights to ensure productive in-person visits.

[Virtual] doulas and midwives: The use of doulas among women in the US is beginning to grow, and rightfully so. Doulas are non-clinically trained care providers, yet studies show they spend six to eleven times the amount of time supporting their pregnant clients compared to other clinical and hospital staff, and that time spent contributes significantly to improving health outcomes and reducing overall perinatal spending – we are talking tens of millions of dollars in savings. The value doulas provide has not gone unnoticed and likely is why there is such an expansive market of virtual doulas available to support people regardless of location: Mother Nurture, The Womb Room, Harmony Doula Group, Nourish Birth + Postpartum, and the list goes on. Midwifery is going the virtual route too, with companies like Bonzun finding ways to provide pregnant women access to the clinical training and expertise of midwives via mobile apps and digital tools.

The big picture: As access to obstetrics care dwindles, employers can and should be looking for additional solutions to help keep their pregnant members and their newborns healthy. Whether that’s exploring new digital tools coming to market or just expanding coverage on their health plans to include doulas, community doulas, midwives, and birthing centers, any effort will be an important step forward in the fight to reduce maternal mortality and poor health outcomes in the US.

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