Pregnancy-related deaths are higher in NC — why? Join our community conversation.
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When Birth Brings Death
In a country that has one of the worst maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations, pregnant women in North Carolina are particularly vulnerable. The troubling situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there’s been a slight decline in pregnancy-related deaths and severe injuries since their pandemic peak, health experts remain concerned. This News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer investigation explores the data and the emotional impact.
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Across North Carolina, maternal mortality rates are much higher compared to the United States overall, a trend made worse during the pandemic.
North Carolina women are dying from pregnancy-related complications, rates that nearly doubled in NC from 2019 to 2021 as COVID-19 spread, according to data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, The News & Observer analyzed.
Those numbers have improved since, but health care experts still are concerned, particularly the death rate in 2022 remained higher than the rate from 2018. Black women are at substantially higher risk.
Journalists from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer published the project When Birth Brings Death in July, which dove deeply into this trend and its toll on families. As a part of our investigation, we also spoke with Black mothers in Mecklenburg County who are taking steps to try to improve maternal health in communities.
A virtual discussion continuing this important coverage aired at 1 p.m. Aug. 3, on the N&O and The Charlotte Observer’s Facebook pages and YouTube channels. A playback also may be found at this link.
How to watch
When: Thursday, Aug. 3
Time: 1 p.m.
Where: The News & Observer YouTube and Facebook pages, or The Charlotte Observer YouTube and Facebook pages.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we analyzed the data on pregnancy-related deaths in North Carolina
Prompted by work from the nonprofit journalism organization MuckRock, News & Observer reporters in early March set out to examine why more North Carolina women are dying of pregnancy-related complications.
There are several ways to count a death as “pregnancy-related.” The N&O used a process from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Marie Thoma, an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. It includes deaths within a year of pregnancy where the cause is attributed to one of several pregnancy-related medical codes.
N&O reporters obtained 2018 to 2021 data on these deaths from an online CDC database on the national level and for several states where data was available.
Pregnancy-related death rates are calculated per 100,000 live births, according to CDC vital statistics.
The N&O used the same method to examine racial disparities in these deaths using both CDC data and finalized state death certificate data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services through 2021, and preliminary death certificate data from 2022. These numbers differ slightly due to the way they’re counted on the state vs. national levels.
The N&O also obtained data from N.C. DHHS on “near miss” cases – when a pregnant woman almost dies from a list of serious maternal injuries or illnesses.
This story was originally published July 28, 2023 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Pregnancy-related deaths are higher in NC — why? Join our community conversation.."
