Katie Chubb, a community organizer, stands in an empty lot in Augusta, Ga., where she's been trying to open a birth center for six years. She says lack of cooperation from local hospitals has been a primary obstacle. Kendrick Brinson/For NPR hide caption
Jade Vandiver holds her son Ezra at home in Clayton, New Mexico. Vandiver joined a federally funded rural maternity program while pregnant with Ezra. Joe Garcia III/KFF Health News hide caption
In many states, the options for safe abortion access will become virtually non-existent if the Supreme Court overturns Roe V. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that protected abortion rights since 1973. Catherine McQueen/Getty Images hide caption
Workers who suffer miscarriages may face repercussions if they try to take a lot of time off at work. There are no national laws that mandate sick leave for workers, let alone specific protections for people dealing with a miscarriage. Catherine McQueen/Getty Images hide caption
Black mothers are more likely than white mothers to die during pregnancy or delivery or in the year following. JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images/Tetra images RF hide caption
A growing number of women are incarcerated in the U.S. and many of them give birth in prison or jail. Image Source/Getty Images/Image Source hide caption
A new treatment promises relief for severe postpartum depression. But will it be accessible to the women who may need it most? AleksandarNakic/Getty Images hide caption
Lesley McClurg sits on the floor of her home in Oakland, Calif., reading a birthing book. McClurg has been taking the time to decide between having a home birth or a hospital birth. Lindsey Moore/KQED hide caption
A change in hospital culture can help prevent serious complications and death during delivery, according to clinicians who work in the field. Ian Hoot/Science Photo Library/Getty Images hide caption
For older mothers, it can feel like there's little time to waste before trying for another child. But there are real risks linked to getting pregnant again too soon. Lauren Bates/Getty Images hide caption
Surgeons perform a cesarean section. A new report raises concerns about rising rates of this procedure around the world, from Brazil to China. Getty Images hide caption
Delayed pushing made no difference in whether first-time mothers had a cesarean section, a large study finds. Getty Images hide caption
Scientists are in the early stages of developing new tests that could predict accurately if a woman is at risk of delivering her baby early. Steve Debenport/Getty Images hide caption
A vaccine given during pregnancy protects the baby against whooping cough, but only about 50 percent of pregnant women get it. Nicole Xu for NPR hide caption
Extreme lack of attention is not unusual in hospitals in poor countries, says Martin Onyango, legal advisor for the Center for Reproductive Rights based in Nairobi. Thomas Mukoya/Reuters hide caption
Mothers helping other mothers through the challenges of postpartum depression and anxiety makes Florida's mentoring program unique. Veronica Grech/Getty Images hide caption
The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is the highest among affluent nations. Researchers believe that with better education, postpartum nurses could help mothers identify life-threatening complications. Mart Klein/Getty Images hide caption
Lauren Bloomstein holds her newborn daughter. Courtesy of the Bloomstein Family hide caption
A pneumococcal vaccine is delivered via motorcycle in Kenya. Evelyn Hochstein/Courtesy of Gavi hide caption
Baby "NeoNatalie" waits to be saved, as Dr. Mark Hathaway gives NPR's Malaka Gharib a lesson on getting an infant to take its first breath. Akash Ghai/NPR hide caption
Jessica Roberts and her father, Alan Roberts, who has struggled with addiction himself. They are both clean and hope to break the cycle of addiction with the newest generation of their family. Mallory Yu/NPR hide caption
A woman breast-feeds her child as she waits to donate milk to a milk bank in Lima. The donations are used for babies whose mothers can't provide breast milk. Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
A free pregnancy test dispenser hangs next to a condom dispenser in the women's restroom at the Peanut Farm bar in Anchorage. Anne Hillman/KSKA hide caption
When Dr. Bina Valsangkar had a miscarriage in India, she received state-of-the-art medical care. But just a few miles from the hospital she visited, nurses were struggling to keep up with sick patients. Courtesy of Save the Children hide caption