A Grade That Reflects More Than Healthcare

The Least We Owe Mothers Is Better Than a C

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"My body went through more than I knew it could."
— Beyoncé, Vogue, 2018

Before a mother ever holds her baby for the first time, she has already been through a transformation that few experiences in life can compare to.

Over the course of pregnancy, her body stretches and adapts to support new life. Her heart works harder to circulate blood for two people. Her hormones rise and fall in ways that influence everything from sleep and mood to memory and appetite. Scientists have even found that pregnancy can create lasting changes in areas of the brain associated with empathy, emotional processing, and nurturing behaviors, helping mothers prepare for the profound responsibility of caring for a child long before that child arrives in the world.¹

And yet, despite everything we know about how demanding motherhood is, one uncomfortable question remains.

How much value do we really place on mothers once they become mothers?

The question may seem dramatic until you look at the latest maternal health report card released in the United States. This year, the nation received a C grade for maternal mental health support and an F for parental support measures such as paid leave and childcare accessibility. No state earned an A.² ³

On paper, it is a disappointing result.

For mothers, it is again a confirmation of something they have known for a long long time, maybe generations.

The challenges that women face during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery are rarely limited to what happens inside the doctor's office. They show up in the moments when a new mother is awake at three in the morning wondering whether the anxiety she feels is normal. They show up when she dismisses symptoms because she is worried about being perceived as overreacting. They show up when she spends more time coordinating appointments, insurance claims, childcare arrangements, and health information than she does focusing on her own recovery.

Women (even in the 21st century) do not experience maternal healthcare as a seamless journey. They experience it as a collection of disconnected moments that they are somehow expected to stitch together on their own.

That expectation has become so normalized that many people no longer question it.

We should. It becomes a reflection of priorities.

Why Early Detection Matters?

If there is one thing the report card makes clear, it is that maternal health challenges are not rooted in a lack of medical knowledge. We know more about pregnancy, postpartum recovery, maternal mental health, and risk factors than ever before. We have decades of clinical evidence, advances in digital health, and growing awareness around the importance of maternal wellbeing.

The issue is not that we do not know enough.

The issue is that too many mothers still struggle to access the right support at the right time.

When a woman develops high blood pressure during pregnancy, there are often warning signs before the situation becomes dangerous. When postpartum depression develops, symptoms frequently emerge long before a formal diagnosis is made. When complications occur after delivery, they are rarely announced without warning. According to the CDC, most pregnancy related deaths in the United States are preventable.⁴

Preventable.

That word should stop all of us in our tracks because behind every preventable complication is a moment when intervention might have made a difference. A conversation that happened too late. A symptom that was overlooked. A risk factor that was never connected to a broader picture. A mother who did not know where to turn or who assumed what she was experiencing was simply part of the process.

The future of maternal healthcare will not be determined by how quickly we react to emergencies. It will be determined by how effectively we identify risk before an emergency occurs, and prevent such emergencies.

What Better Maternal Care Can Look Like?

Imagine a maternal healthcare experience where we do not stop looking at the mom between appointments.

Imagine a mother receiving guidance that reflects her unique health profile rather than generic information designed for everyone. Imagine concerns being identified earlier because health patterns are being monitored continuously. Imagine providers having a more complete picture of a mother's health journey rather than fragmented snapshots collected weeks apart.

Most importantly, imagine a system that recognizes pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and early motherhood as connected experiences (which can go back to the moment she starts planning to conceive) rather than isolated events.

The technology to support this future already exists. The clinical knowledge exists. The opportunity before us is not discovering what mothers need. Mothers have been telling us for years.

The opportunity is building systems capable of responding to those needs in a more connected, personalized, and proactive way.

That is the direction maternal healthcare must move if we hope to improve outcomes not only for mothers today but for generations of families to come.

Mothers Deserve More Than Survival.

Very often, maternal health conversations focus on avoiding the worst possible outcome. Reducing maternal mortality matters. Preventing severe complications matters. Expanding access to care matters.

Women deserve healthcare experiences that acknowledge the emotional, mental, and physical realities of motherhood rather than treating them as separate concerns.

Success in maternal healthcare should not be measured only by whether a mother survives delivery. It should be measured by whether she is given the tools, support, and care needed to thrive long after her baby arrives.

That is the standard mothers deserve.

And that is the standard we should be working toward.

Ready for a Better Maternal Health Experience?

Myri combines AI-powered risk identification, personalized health insights, care coordination, and continuous support to help mothers navigate pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and beyond with greater confidence. At the same time, Myri equips health systems, payers, employers, and care teams with actionable insights that enable earlier interventions, improved care coordination, better outcomes, and reduced healthcare costs across maternal populations.

Learn more about how Myri is helping shape the future of maternal healthcare.

References

This article draws on research and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), March of Dimes, and peer reviewed studies published in Nature Neuroscience.

• Nature Neuroscience: https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.4458
• Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health: https://policycentermmh.org/state-report-cards/
• George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health: https://publichealth.gwu.edu/2026-maternal-mental-health-state-report-cards-released-us-receives-f-new-parental-support-measures
• CDC Maternal Mortality Review Committees: https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-mortality/php/data-research/mmrc
• ACOG Optimizing Postpartum Care: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2018/05/optimizing-postpartum-care
• March of Dimes Maternity Care Deserts Report: https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/reports/maternity-care-deserts-report
• Vogue: Beyoncé on FAME, the Twins, and Life After Coachella: https://www.vogue.com/article/beyonce-september-issue-2018