Nina martin: "Lost Mothers" 10.04.17

Part 1: Understanding the Big Picture

1. Outreach to maternal health groups

2. Interviews with 30+ near-miss survivors

3. Targeted outreach to black women on Facebook

4. Interviews with researchers, clinicians & other experts

Patient Advocacy Resources• Preeclampsia & HELLP syndrome: Preeclampsia Foundation• AFE: Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation• C-sections, hemorrhage & placental issues: National Accreta Foundation,

Hope for Accreta & International Cesarean Awareness Network FB• Blood clots & pulmonary embolism: National Blood Clot Alliance,

The Shane Foundation & Pregnancy/Postpartum Blood Clots FB group• Infection: Sepsis Alliance• Heart-related issues: SCAD Alliance & The Fight Against Peripartum

Cardiomyopathy • Mental health issues: Postpartum Support International & The Emily Effect• Life-threatening complications (general): The Unexpected Project &

Maternal Near-Miss Survivors open FB group• Maternal-infant issues: March of Dimes

Part 2: Putting a Face to Maternal Mortality

• 1st surprise: few deaths on Nexis, Google • Obituaries rarely mention cause of death• Families are conditioned to see maternal deaths as

private tragedies• This lets hospitals, regulators, policymakers act as

if there isn’t a problem

2nd surprise: The deaths we did find often didn’tfit the stereotype

The defining question: How does a healthy NICU nurse die at the hospital where she worked?

Key Insights:

• The medical system is often more focused on baby’s health & safety than mom’s

• Lack of standards/protocols in treating obstetric emergencies is a major factor in many maternal deaths & near-deaths

• These systemic problems endanger not just SOME women but ALL women

• Because maternal deaths are almost invisible, lessons are lost

Aha! moment: Many families use crowdfunding sites to honor loved ones

Part 3: Finding the Lost Mothers

Find names on GoFundMe & YouCaring,verify with obits & Facebook

The best tool to monitor recent deaths: Facebook Signal for journalists

To fill in the gaps, ask the community for help

Who we found: 160+ Lost Mothers in 2016 alone

The really hard part: Persuading loved ones to tell their story

• Maternal deaths often cause major rifts in families• Mothers, sisters & other close female relatives are

often more responsive than husbands...• …But the dead woman’s relatives may not have

complete info • Many families see the hospital staff as heroes and

won’t want to criticize• Black families may not want to talk about race

What we published in July 2017: 120 names, 51 photosOct. 2017 update: 134 names, 58 photos

Part 4: What Did We Learn From the Lost Mothers?

• Postpartum deaths & heart-related fatalities are very common

• Mental health issues & substance abuse are major factors in many deaths

• Many deaths are preventable• Often families never find out what happened• When a mother dies, multiple lives are crushed

The Lost Mothers Gallery

More Lost Mothers

More Lost Mothers

Part 5: Lessons for Local Reporters

• Maternal deaths are more than human interest stories. They’re a public health issue

• Don’t treat maternal deaths merely as anecdotal leads

• Understand the underlying medical conditions and the preventability of deaths

• Work extra hard to include women of color — and give yourself (and their families) extra time

Lessons for Local Reporters, cont’d

• Ask: What happened at the hospital? What protocols were in place to handle a crisis?

• Ask: Was there an autopsy?• Ask: What is your state’s process for investigating

maternal deaths?• Ask: If your state has a maternal mortality review

committee, what does it actually do?

Lessons for Local Reporters, cont’d

• Find out: How does your community care for pregnant women and postpartum mothers?

• Understand the sensitivities: race, religion, stigma, guilt

• In reporting about maternal deaths, also find the near-misses

• GET THE MEDICAL RECORDS!

The Lost Mothers Team

Nina Martin

[email protected]

Adriana Gallardo

[email protected]

Renee Montagne/NPR

[email protected]

Special thanks to NYU journalism grad students: Emma Cillekens, Alessandra Freitas, Clare Church, Alexander Gonzalez, Lauren Gurley, Nina Hedevang, Eli Kurland & Razi Syed

Please share our call-out: Bit.ly/lostmothers