Alabama Named 2020’s Worst State To Have A Baby

Alabama Named 2020's Worst State To Have A Baby

When a family has a baby, it's supposed to be one of the most joyous events of their lives. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Having a baby comes with so much stress from family members, adjusting to new routines and things out of the parents' control like hospital care and now COVID-19.

Being a new parent myself, I understand how stressful having a baby can be. There are so many elements out of your control, and you have to trust that the hospital will have you and your baby's best interest in mind. Cost is another huge factor, probably the biggest one. Having a baby isn't a cheap thing to do, especially if you don't have insurance. Potential parents can drive themselves crazy planning to have a baby, not to mention we're in the middle of a global pandemic.

According to a study performed by Wallet Hub, Alabama has named the worst state in the U.S to have a baby. The study considered the state's healthcare accessibility, family friendliness, baby friendliness, and cost. The state of Alabama ranked dead last in baby friendliness, 46th in family-friendliness, 48th in health care, and 38th in cost.

None of this surprised me because my wife and I researched these areas before moving up to Alabama from Florida. When I began working here in Tuscaloosa, my wife was 3 months pregnant. We decided to have her stay in Florida for the remainder of her pregnancy, and deliver the baby there. It was hard for both of us. With the information we discovered involving infant and black maternal mortality rate while giving birth in Alabama, we knew it would be best.

My wife is a Doula so I've been educated on a lot of things to look out for when having a baby. I've learned that not every hospital is the same when it comes to birthing. Some hospitals may or may not let moms give birth a certain way. They'd also have rules on what's allowed in the room while the mom is in labor. For instance, a hospital can say that only 2 people are allowed in the room while mom is in labor. That could be the doctor delivering the baby, and the spouse. For such an important moment, some may want one or both parents in the room as well but are restricted due to rules at certain hospitals. COVID-19 has really made rules more strict as people are rightfully worried about spreading the virus in the delivery room.

Ultimately, I hope we can improve these numbers not just in the state of Alabama, but in the U.S. It seemed like a lot of the low ranking states was in the south. Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, & Mississippi all help make up the 5 worst states to have a baby according to this study. My home state of Florida isn't far behind, they're in the 10 worst states.

(Source) To see the full study on Wallet Hub, click here.