(WOMENSENEWS)--The future of pregnant women in the United States will significantly change Aug. 1.

That is when the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, will require insurance providers and Medicaid to cover clinical preventative services for women, including pre-natal care, all without charging a co-pay, co-insurance or a deductible.

Under the new guidelines, millions of women will gain access to health care services for free, including well-woman preventative care visits and screenings for gestational diabetes and sexually transmitted infections. These guidelines do not include maternity care or simply any service the doctor orders. However, starting in 2014, all maternity care will be covered by all new individual, small business and government exchange plans.

"This will provide an extraordinary opportunity to improve women's health not only during pregnancy but before, between and beyond pregnancy, and across the life course," said Dr. Michael C. Lu, the associate administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Not only will preventative care be provided next year without cost to women, under the new health care law, $125 million will go this year to the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program to expand maternal and newborn support for mothers at home.

The changes are being introduced amid a wealth of data indicating that the number of mothers dying in America during or shortly after pregnancy is consistently growing. The rate of maternal mortality in the United States has more than doubled, rising from 6.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 16. 1 per 100,000 live births in 2009 – the highest among developed nations, Lu's agency reports.

Various studies have attributed higher risk of maternal death to race, income, region, C-section rates, obesity-related problems and chronic disease. States where poverty exceeded 18 percent, the immigrant population exceeded 15 percent and the C-section rate exceeded 33 percent had 77 percent, 33 percent and 21 percent higher risks of maternal mortality, respectively, a 2007 report by Gopal K. Singh of the Health Resources and Services Administration indicated.

Women's eNews has also reported previously that African American women's maternal mortality rates are higher than those of other American women. African American women, regardless of levels of income and education, are three to four times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy. Yet conclusive data answering the question of why are scarce.

Government Funding

Ahead of the federal health insurance reform, several states have already been using funds provided by the federal government's Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program to improve pregnancy care.

For example, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative develops toolkits, protocols and recommendations for hospitals to tackle the leading causes of maternal death and morbidity, including hemorrhage (excessive bleeding) and preeclampsia (extreme high blood pressure).

At least two-thirds of California hospitals have adopted the toolkits. At the same time, the collaborative is devising a program to reduce first-birth C-sections, which range from 15 percent to 45 percent of births in California.

"The challenge is getting hospitals to adopt recommendations and change, but this is an area that we are making real progress in," said Dr. Elliot Main, medical director of the collaborative. "It's a shame mothers are still bleeding to death in the United States."

In addition to the block grant, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau has developed intervention programs for low-income women at risk of having a low-birth weight baby, including the Home Visiting program and Healthy Start.

In 2009, 685 U.S. mothers – up from 548 in 2007 – died of pregnancy-related complications during or within 42 days of the end of their pregnancy, according to unpublished data provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

As a result, the United States is one of 23 countries – including Zimbabwe and Costa Rica – where maternal mortality rates have increased, according to a 2010 World Health Organization report "Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990- 2008."

Many pregnant mothers go into labor with chronic health problems, the top being diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular disease. The federal maternal health agency reports that these contribute to poor maternal outcomes, but these studies are not conclusive and do not explain the maternal mortality difference between white, African American and Hispanic mothers.

Higher rates of health disorders are reported during pregnancy as well. In 2008, among the 27 states that collect this information, gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related hypertension were reported in 40.6 mothers per 1,000 live births and 38.7 mothers per 1,000 live births, respectively.

Clear Backsliding Trend

Final maternal mortality and morbidity data for 2010 are not yet available but the trend is clear. While developing countries are lowering their maternal mortality rates, the United States is backsliding.

The problem here does not correlate to monetary expenditure. The United States spends more on health care than any other country and more on maternal health than any other type of hospital care, according to a2010 report by the London-based human rights group Amnesty International.

Lu, at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, has been researching maternal distress for years.

"To improve maternal mortality in America, there are two things we must do," he said in an e-mail interview. "First, we need to improve women's health before they get pregnant. Second, we need to improve the quality of care that women receive during pregnancy."

That echoes an international consensus that maternal deaths are preventable in most cases and that maternal morbidity can be foreseen and addressed long before the mother gives birth.

Improving women's health before pregnancy involves what Lu has described as a "life course model" that begins in early life and extends to checkups for teens and access to contraceptives, all of which are covered by the health reforms about to take effect.

"Programs and policies that improve women's health before they get pregnant, including those that address social determinants of health over the life course, as well as those that improve the quality of care women receive during pregnancy, will be critical for offsetting the risks which contribute to increased maternal deaths," Lu said.

Malena Amusa is a freelance reporter based in St. Louis.

EVERY MOTHER COUNTS

I met Samira Atash and her daughter at my local park in New York City last summer. Coincidentally, I had met her mother-in-law in the neighborhood several years earlier. When we met, Samira shared some of her history with me. She had been born in Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous places to give birth in the world, where one in 11 women will die due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth. Today she is a clothing designer, entrepreneur, and supporter of maternal health. We discussed our similar experiences in our travels to Afghanistan since 9/11. I traveled there with The Today Show in January of 2002 as a guest correspondent covering a UNICEF program to reintegrate girls into schools in Kabul after the Taliban had gone.

Samira also shared her birth story with me, and similar to my own, she had a childbirth related complication delivering her daughter. She explained how the experience gave her a new appreciation for what mothers go through and for the hospital and doctors who took care of her. We discussed the likelihood that had either of us experienced our childbirth complications in either of the countries of our family origin (my mother was born in El Salvador), neither of us would be here today. Samira and I had made a special connection through a shared experience.  She was aware of Every Mother Counts and wanted to find a way to work together.

This past April, Samira launched her latest venture, It's A Miracle Maternity, a website that offers designer maternity, nursing & baby clothes that are new and gently owned at up to 75% off. I am proud to announce that beginning this month, Every Mother Counts and It's A Miracle Maternity have teamed up to reduce maternal mortality around the world. For every purchase made at It's A Miracle Maternity, five percent of the total will go directly to Every Mother Counts. If you donate your designer maternity/nursing/baby clothes to It's A Miracle Maternity, 30 percent of the proceeds of sales from your clothing will also go directly to Every Mother Counts.

Together, we can make every mother count. 

If it seems like everyone you know is having a baby this summer, it won’t surprise you to learn that the biggest number of babies are born between June and September. With the cost to raise a child from birth to age 17 topping out at $287,000, new parents are looking to save money anywhere they can.

Unfortunately, the six-figure number mentioned above doesn’t include pregnancy and delivery costs. You’ll need around $15,000 for an uncomplicated vaginal delivery (no insurance) and the following basics:

• Car seat: $100
• Clothing: $50
• Diapers: $72 (one-month supply)
• Wipes: $20 (one-month supply)
• Crib with mattress and sheets: $230
• Bottles and formula (unless breastfeeding) – $165 (one-month supply of formula)

READ MORE HERE: http://www.newparent.com/parenting-101-featured/saving-newborn/

June 18^th, 2012 - It's A Miracle Maternity and Every Mother Counts have teamed up to reduce maternal mortality around the world.  It’s A Miracle Maternity is a discount designer maternity, nursing and baby clothing website founded by an award-nominated fashion designer in New York City. Every Mother Counts (www.everymothercounts.org) is an advocacy and mobilization campaign founded by global maternal health advocate & mom Christy Turlington Burns to increase education and support for maternal mortality reduction globally.

A woman dies every 2 minutes around the world from complications of pregnancy.  90% of these deaths are preventable. Every Mother Counts seeks to engage new audiences to better understand the challenges and the solutions while encouraging them to take action to improve the lives of girls and women worldwide.

For every purchase you make at itsamiraclematernity.com, 5% of the total will go directly to Every Mother Counts.  For designer maternity/nursing/baby clothing you donate to It's A Miracle Maternity, 30 percent of the proceeds of sales will also go directly to Every Mother Counts through It’s A Miracle Maternity’s “Moms for Moms” program.

“It’s A Miracle Maternity helps mothers in America who may not want to pay full price on their maternity, nursing and baby wardrobe, by offering up to 75% off stylish & hip brands.   We are also improving maternal health programs around the world by donating directly to Every Mother Counts.  This is an exciting way to help moms in need and to combine fashion with a cause that is important”, states It’s A Miracle Maternity founder Samira Atash.

About It’s A Miracle
It's A Miracle Maternity was launched in 2003 by award-nominated New York City fashion designer and social entrepreneur Samira Atash.  The label quickly became a popular maternity brand, especially its "Undercover" line of soft t-shirts with high necklines and long hems. Between two sales reps in New York City and Atlanta, the brand was carried in over 60 stores and an It's A Miracle design was worn by CNN's Soledad O'Brien live on air.

It's A Miracle Maternity is now a hip discount designer maternity, nursing & baby clothing resale and consignment e-boutique that carries gently owned and new brands such as It's A Miracle Maternity's original collections, Pea in the Pod, Olian, Citizen of Humanity Maternity Jeans, NOM, Ripe Maternity, Japanese Weekend, Isabella Oliver, PureT, Glamourmom, Maternal America, Mayreau, Boob, Zutano, Petit Bateau, and much more. Shoppers can save up to 75% off on stylish maternity, nursing and baby clothing and gifts. Moms who have gently owned designer maternity, nursing or baby clothes (up to 24 months), that they no longer use, can also sell, consign or donate them to It's A Miracle Maternity.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

POPULAR MATERNITY BRAND RE-LAUNCHES AS A DISCOUNT DESIGNER RESALE & CONSIGNMENT WEBSITE

Shoppers can save up to 75% off popular brands while supporting maternal health programs through site’s charitable donations.

March 21st, 2012 - In celebration of Spring, a season that represents rebirth, It's A Miracle Maternity has re-launched as a hip discount designer maternity, nursing & baby resale and consignment e-boutique that carries gently owned and new brands such as It's A Miracle Maternity's original collections, Pea in the Pod, Olian, Citizen of Humanity Maternity Jeans, NOM, Ripe Maternity, Japanese Weekend, Isabella Oliver, PureT, Glamourmom, Maternal America, Mayreau, Boob, Zutano, Petit Bateau, and much more. Shoppers can save up to 75% off on stylish maternity, nursing and baby clothing and gifts.

Moms who have gently owned designer maternity, nursing or baby clothes (up to 24 months) that they no longer use can also sell or consign them to It's A Miracle Maternity for cash. Even better, a percentage of sales will be donated to maternal health programs, something that is important to the founder of It’s A Miracle Maternity.

“In 2010, my own miracle came into my life – my daughter Elaina Rumi Rose was born. I dealt with an excruciating labor and difficult delivery where I almost lost my precious angel in the process….and I was in the care of top doctors in New York City! The concept of labor and delivery took on a whole new meaning for me. If it was this difficult for me – and I live in a modern country with access to top notch health care, I could NOT imagine how women in disadvantaged areas of the world do it. Who supports them? What kind of pain do they endure? Why does a mom die every 90 seconds during childbirth? That is why I would like to give back to organizations that help maternal health programs through the success of It’s A Miracle Maternity. Moms can shop from the comfort of their home, save money, and feel good knowing their purchase will help save lives of other pregnant women around the world”, states Samira Atash, It’s A Miracle Maternity’s creator and designer.

“I dabbled with the idea of designing a new collection, but I realized that mothers in America are dealing with a difficult economy and may not want to pay full price on their maternity wardrobe. Personally, I love finding high quality clothes at great prices, so it's exciting to make this transition. I'm looking very forward to combining my love of maternity fashions with my desire to make a positive impact on lives of pregnant women everywhere.”

About It’s A Miracle
It's A Miracle Maternity was launched in 2003 by award-nominated New York City fashion designer and social entrepreneur Samira Atash.  The label became a popular maternity brand, especially its "Undercover" line of soft t-shirts with high necklines and long hems. Between two sales reps in New York City and Atlanta, the brand was carried in over 60 stores and an It's A Miracle design was worn by CNN's Soledad O'Brien live on air. The website has re-launched as a discount maternity, nursing & baby consignment and retail site that carries the It’s A Miracle and many other designer labels.

For more info:
info@itsamiraclematernity.com
www.itsamiraclematernity.com