Georgia earns another ‘F’ in national report on maternal, infant health

ATLANTA, Ga. – A new nationwide March of Dimes report highlights what experts call a persisting maternal and infant health crisis in the United States — and Georgia is among the hardest-hit states.

For the fourth straight year, the U.S. received a D grade for pre-term births, the longest stretch the nation has ever held a grade that low.

Georgia fared even worse. The state earned another consecutive ‘F’ score on the annual March of Dimes Report Card, which evaluates states on maternal and infant health outcomes.

According to the report, Georgia’s pre-term birth rate in 2024 was 11.8%, nearly unchanged from the previous year and higher than the national average of 10.4%.

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“Our state is in many ways failing them.”

Charles Johnson, founder of the nonprofit 4Kira4Moms, says Georgia’s failing grade reflects a deeper crisis. Johnson formed his organization after losing his wife during childbirth — a death he says was preventable.

“Our state is in many ways failing them,” Johnson said. “It’s frustrating, it’s appalling… We have to do better.”

Johnson says he and his wife went into the hospital in 2016 in California, a state with a current ‘B’ grade in infant and maternal health according to the 2025 March of Dimes report card.

Johnson says, “Even with the progressive things California is doing it still wasn’t enough to make sure my wife was seen, heard and her concerns were validated.”

Breaking down the report

According to the 2025 March of Dimes report card, Georgia ranks 36th out of 48 states for maternal deaths from pregnancy or childbirth complications and 43rd out of 52 states and districts (all states, D.C., and Puerto Rico) for infant mortality.

Racial disparities are also documented in the annual report.

Babies born to Black mothers in Georgia are 1.5 times more likely to die than the average statewide rate.

The annual report also finds, babies born to Pacific Islander mothers are 2.1 times more likely to receive inadequate prenatal care.

Georgia faces an infant mortality rate of 7.0 per 1,000 live births, and a high rate of inadequate prenatal care (20.6%).

Inside one of Georgia’s only birth centers

At the Atlanta Birth Center, one of only four certified birth centers in the state, midwife director and co-founder Anjli Hinman says she’s well aware of the consequences of Georgia’s statewide poor birthing outcomes and the possibilities for change.

“It’s a curiosity why the country that spends the most on caring for mothers and babies has outcomes like this,” Hinman said.

Hinman notes that pre-term birth is one of the strongest predictors of infant mortality.

According to the March of Dimes report card, Georgia’s average exceeds 11%, Hinman says the Atlanta Birth Center reports its own pre-term birth rate at roughly 3%.

Hinman says, the center is also seeing results that don’t reflect the racial gaps in birth statistics seen across much of the state.

The March of Dimes report says, babies born to Black moms are facing a pre-term birth rate of 15.1%, compared to 10.3% for White moms.

At the Atlanta Birth Center, “We are not seeing any difference statistically between our Black clients and our white clients, which is unheard of,” Hinman said.

She says many expectant mothers come to the center concerned about hospital birthing experiences.

“Some will even say, ‘I don’t want to die.’ They’re scared to go into hospitals because that’s the association they have. I would never want to practice without hospitals– interventions exist for a reason.”

Hinman emphasizes that birthing centers aren’t a replacement for hospitals, and that the Atlanta Birth Center has a partnership with a nearby hospital for births that need access to more extensive medical resources.

She says birth centers can provide an alternative model of care that prioritizes mobility, comfort, and personalized support.

A new mother’s perspective

Melodi Brown delivered her baby boy on Monday at the Atlanta Birth Center just hours before speaking with Atlanta News First.

“I labored quite long, and I’m definitely running off adrenaline,” she said.

She said that she’s aware of Georgia’s consistently low rankings, and extensively looked into her birthing options at the start of her pregnancy.

“It’s not surprising the state ranked really low. That’s exactly why I wanted to give birth at the Atlanta Birth Center.” Brown said. “I would definitely recommend doing your research… It’s a great option to look at the holistic approach.”

Brown said that birth center options are limited in the southeast and that could provide challenges for mothers looking to give birth at a center like the midtown operation.

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