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FAQs

FAQS

Complications leading to deaths and short- and long-term health issues (morbidities) for mothers have been increasing in the United States, particularly among black women. Many of these deaths and morbidities are preventable. We are bringing further awareness to the issue by proving a method of collecting and sharing these stories. Our ultimate goal is to design an intervention to address this problem.

There are several ways to get involved! One is to share your story. This includes whether you gave birth or attended a birth as a supporter or birth worker. You can access the form here: Share Your Story.
You can also share our tweets, Instagram posts, and Facebook posts. Be sure to use #chicagobirthstories in your social media posts! We are also looking for groups and folks to collaborate with us. Connect with us on social media or fill out our contact form.

We are interesting in hearing about birth stories from diverse backgrounds – regardless of race, religion, neighborhood, and type of birth (home, hospital, birth center, surrogate, etc.). We are also interested in hearing stories from those who witnessed a birth as a supporter or health care worker. If you gave birth or attended a birth in the Chicago metropolitan area, please submit your story on the Share Your Story page!

We will be mapping stories (Birth Stories Map). By submitting your narrative, you consent to it being displayed publicly on our map. We aren’t collecting your name or address, so you will cannot be personally identified by that information.

Please note that we are not legal professionals, but have provided a few resources for reporting your birth:

This USA Today article shares several ways to report, ‘How to report bad care from maternity hospitals, OB/GYNs when childbirth turns dangerous‘.

Review to Action is a national coalition of public health entities working to end maternal mortality. They have resources on the Connect section of their website.

Our Contact Us page has a form that you can fill out if you have feedback, additional questions, or anything else you would like to communicate.