Lost Mothers, Mother's Helper, Mama Don't Cry, & Oh Mother

Lost Mothers, Mother’s Helper, Mama Don’t Cry, & Oh Mother

Lost Mothers, Mother’s Helper, Mama Don’t Cry, & Oh Mother https://aepc.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/iStock-1021583776-scaled.jpeg 2560 1875 AEPC Health AEPC Health //aepc.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AEPC-LOGO-v1.png May 12, 2023 May 12, 2023

Lost Mothers

In 1964, the Beatles song, Can’t Buy Me Love was #27 on Billboard pop chart upon release. The song then jumped directly to #1 the following week, breaking the record for the biggest leap into the top spot on the charts. While the song has many memorable lyrics, one of its most iconic is “But money can’t buy me love.”

In light of the retail spending forecast for Mother’s Day this Sunday, one can’t help but what wonder if money can’t buy love, can it show love? According to recent survey, US consumers plan to spend a total of $35.7 billion on Mother’s Day this year, nearly $4 billion more than last year’s record setting $31.7 billion. Consumers are expected to spend $274.02 per person and those ages 35-44 are forecasted to be the top spenders, with an average Mother’s Day expenditure of $382.26!

Whether or not the amount spent on Mother’s Day gifts is a show of love is debatable. One thing that is not up for debate – healthcare spending does not ensure lower maternal death rates. In 2021, the U.S. spent 17.8% of its gross domestic product on healthcare, which is nearly twice as much as the average for other high-income countries, and almost 5% more than the second-highest spending country, Germany.

Despite the high level of spending on healthcare, US maternal-death rates are greater than in any other high-income country. In 2020, there were 24 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the US. The 2020 maternal mortality rates in France, the U.K., Germany, and Canada were eight, ten, and four and one death per 100,000 live births respectively.

In 2021, the US maternal death rate increased to 32.9 per 100,000 births, the highest rate since the 1960s. Preliminary 2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates a decline in maternal deaths to pre-pandemic levels. While this would represent an improvement over 2021, the pre-pandemic US maternal mortality rate was far worse than other high-income countries.

Check out this edition of The Download for more on the maternal mortality problem and other mom matters!
Happy Reading!

Suzanne Daniels

Moms Lost: current maternal mortality crisis, income &maternal mortality, and the impact of mid-wives.
Mother’s Helper: working moms’ mental health, Pump Act and helping military vets.
Don’t Cry Mama: postpartum depression, gun violence fear and stillbirths.
Oh Mother: including my personal favorite, Why the founder of Mother’s Day hated what it had become!