Elevating the stories of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood
Our Goals
Amplify these mothers’ stories so policymakers and business leaders can address how to improve maternal care in the city
Incorporate stories from D.C.’s moms across our print, digital, audio, and events platforms
Raise awareness in the community about the realities of maternal health, including birth outcomes in the District and the multifaceted issues mothers face
Expecting Parents and Pregnancy Experts Adjust to the Coronavirus Pandemic
The novel coronavirus pandemic has shut down the D.C. area and much of the rest of the world, and changed nearly every aspect of life. But labor and delivery cannot be shut down. Pregnant people and new parents still need everything they’ve always needed. Hospital labor and delivery units must operate, and babies still need…
Washington City Paper Awarded Journalism Project and Membership Grants from Facebook
Washington City Paper, D.C.’s weekly newspaper of 39 years, is the recipient of two grants from the Facebook Journalism Project that will support its work on D.C.’s maternal health crisis as well as the further development of City Paper’s recently launched reader membership program. “Facebook’s investments in our impactful local journalism and our burgeoning community-supported business…
She Had a Stillborn Baby. She Faults an Ambulance Delay.
On Saturday, July 6, Congress Heights resident Shaquana Bates went into labor with her son, Daymarion Sams. Bates, who is 26 years old, was 32 weeks pregnant at the time. Her mother, Tamara, called 911 for an ambulance at 9:22 p.m., but one did not arrive at her home until 9:53 p.m. Bates arrived at…
D.C. Finally Establishes a Committee to Address Maternal Deaths
It’s been 15 months since nearly 20 doctors, midwives, and maternal health experts testified about childbirth in D.C. at a public hearing on maternal mortality. They described the dire need for a committee to review the deaths of pregnant and new mothers in the District, which is home to an enduring, decades-long maternal mortality crisis.…
Food & Friends Partnership Helps New and Expectant Mothers in D.C.’s Food Deserts
There are stretches of barren blocks in the District, bereft of grocery stores that sell fresh produce and protein. According to the D.C. Policy Center, these areas of limited food access and a lack of close supermarket proximity are concentrated in the neighborhoods of Anacostia, Barry Farms, Mayfair, and Ivy City. More than 75 percent…
Women in D.C. Face Obstacles at Every Step of Pregnancy and Childbirth
Melissa Esposito walked two miles in the snow to get to her third prenatal appointment. It had been so hard to get a time with the doctor, she was scared to reschedule. Danielle Lloyd endured pregnancy in the food and maternal care desert that is Southeast D.C. She worried about the 40-minute drive from her…