International Women’s Day and Maternal Health: Why Both Celebration and Urgency Matter
- Mar 8
- 5 min read
On International Women’s Day, I find myself holding the tension between celebration and urgency.
On one hand, women have come so far. I’m proud to tell my daughters about the progress we’ve made in education, leadership and access to care compared with the world our grandmothers knew. There are more women in healthcare leadership, more midwives shaping models of care and more conversations about respectful birth than ever before.
On the other hand, the reality of maternal health, in the United States and globally, reminds me how much work remains. Women and birthing people are still facing preventable deaths, disrespect in healthcare settings and persistent barriers to safe, culturally grounded care. The maternal health crisis is not just a clinical issue; it is a reflection of how much (or how little) women’s lives are valued.
International Women’s Day is a chance to hold both truths at once: to honor how far we’ve come, and to recommit to building a world where every birthing person has access to the care they deserve.
The Global Picture of Maternal Health
Even with medical advances, pregnancy and birth remain far more dangerous for many women than they should be. Globally, an estimated 287,000 women died from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth in 2020, a number that has largely stagnated since 2016. These deaths are concentrated in low‑ and lower‑middle‑income countries and in communities facing fragile health systems, conflict or limited access to skilled care.¹
Most of these deaths are considered preventable with timely, high‑quality care—things like skilled birth attendants, access to emergency obstetric services, respectful postpartum follow‑up and the ability to reach care in the first place.¹
Maternal health is also deeply shaped by where a person lives. Rural communities, marginalized groups and those facing economic hardship often experience higher risks and fewer options. Even when facilities exist, women may encounter language barriers, discrimination or disrespect that keep them from seeking care until it’s too late.
When we talk about maternal health on International Women’s Day, we’re really talking about whether women and birthing people are able to safely navigate one of the most vulnerable transitions of their lives, and whether the systems around them are designed to support that.
Maternal Health and the Value of Women’s Lives
Maternal health is a mirror. It reflects our collective beliefs about women’s bodies, women’s time and women’s worth.
When health systems are under‑resourced, maternal services are often among the first to show strain. When women’s voices are dismissed, early warning signs in pregnancy and postpartum can be missed. When providers are burned out and unsupported, it becomes harder to offer the kind of attentive, respectful care every family deserves.
None of this is about individual blame. It’s about recognizing that maternal health outcomes are shaped by the conditions in which care is provided: staffing levels, training, community infrastructure and the presence (or absence) of models that truly center birthing people.
On International Women’s Day, it feels important to say this clearly: safe, compassionate, culturally grounded birth is not a luxury. It’s a baseline expression of respect for women’s lives.
How the Birth Center Model Supports Maternal Health
One of the reasons I’m so passionate about birth centers is that they offer a different way forward for maternal health.
Midwifery‑led, community‑rooted birth centers are designed around relationship, continuity and respect. Families often receive longer prenatal visits, more education and care that recognizes pregnancy and birth as physiologic processes that sometimes need intervention, but are not defined by it.
For low‑risk pregnancies, evidence shows that midwifery‑led care can improve outcomes while reducing unnecessary interventions and costs.² Birth centers can create space for informed choice, shared decision‑making and culturally grounded practices that help families feel seen and safe.
But even the strongest model of care cannot thrive on heart alone. Birth centers need sustainable systems, strong operations and supportive environments to keep their doors open. That’s where my work in operations, consulting and financial strategy comes in: helping birth centers match their mission with the infrastructure required to sustain it.
Midwives, Nurses and Birth Workers: Quiet Architects of Maternal Health
Behind every maternal health statistic are real people: midwives who answer late‑night calls, nurses who stay past the end of their shift, doulas who sit with families through long labors, administrators who fight to keep programs funded and so many others.
These birth workers often show up in systems that are stretched thin, and still find ways to create safety, dignity and connection. Their work is both intensely practical and quietly revolutionary.
On International Women’s Day, I’m honoring:
Midwives who protect physiologic birth while collaborating with medical teams when higher‑level care is needed.
Nurses who bring compassion to every interaction, even when their workload is overwhelming.
Doulas and Childbirth Educators who provide culturally rooted support, advocacy and education.
Birth center leaders who are building new models of care, one policy, one protocol and one family at a time.
Your labor is world‑building work. Every chart, every conversation, every birth you attend is part of a much larger story about how we treat women and birthing people.
Moving Forward: Small Actions That Support Maternal Health
Improving maternal health doesn’t always look like sweeping reform. Often, it starts with small, tangible actions that are within our reach. Depending on your role, that might mean:
Listening deeply to the stories of birthing people in your community and believing their experiences.
Supporting midwives, nurses, doulas, and birth centers through collaboration, referrals or community partnerships.
Investing in staff well‑being and sustainable workloads so the people caring for families can also care for themselves.
Learning more about models of care, like midwifery‑led birth centers, that align safety with respect, autonomy and relationship‑based care.
International Women’s Day is a yearly reminder, but the work of maternal health is daily. It happens in exam rooms and birth suites, in policy meetings and budget spreadsheets and in every conversation where someone says, “We can do better for women and families.”
International Women’s Day and Maternal Health: An Invitation
As I talk with my daughters about International Women’s Day, I want them to know the full story: yes, there has been incredible progress, and yes, there is still a long way to go.
I want them to grow up in a world where safe, respectful maternal health care is the norm, where birth centers are accessible options, where midwives and nurses are supported and where every birthing person is treated with dignity.
If you’re reading this, you are part of that story. Whether you are a clinician, a birth center leader, a parent or a community member who simply cares, your voice and your choices matter.
This International Women’s Day, may we celebrate how far we’ve come in maternal health, and recommit to a future where every birth reflects the worth of the person giving life.
References
Global numbers & preventabilityWHO – Maternal Mortality Fact Sheet https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
Trends over time & regional patternsWHO et al. – Trends in Maternal Mortality 2000–2020 https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240068759
Maternal health framing & health-system factorsWHO – Maternal Health overview https://www.who.int/health-topics/maternal-health#tab=tab_1
Midwifery/ birth-center model evidence (framework + impact)Renfrew MJ et al. “Midwifery and quality care: findings from a new evidence-informed framework for maternal and newborn care.” The Lancet (2014).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24965816/
Example of midwifery‑led care effectiveness review“Effectiveness of midwifery-led care on pregnancy outcomes…” (open‑access article)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10214693/
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