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26-Sep-2025

A mother’s death during or after pregnancy may increase risk of infant’s death or hospitalization

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health captures the first data in decades on the relationship between maternal deaths and infant health and deaths, finding that infants are much more likely to die or be hospitalized for poor health if their mother experiences a pregnancy-associated death or severe illness. Published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, the study examined maternal and infant health and mortality rates in Massachusetts from 1999 to 2021 and found that in cases when the mother died during pregnancy or the postpartum period, the infant mortality rate was more than 14 times as high as in cases when the mother did not die during this period. When maternal deaths occurred after mothers experienced severe maternal morbidity, the infant mortality rate was 22 times greater than when the mother survived the postpartum period.

Journal: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Funder: NIH/National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

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A mother’s death during or after pregnancy may increase risk of infant’s death or hospitalization