Improving Maternal Health for Texas Mothers

Caring for Texas Moms Statewide

Illustration of diverse Texas mothers and their children

Every mother has the right to safe, accessible, and quality maternal healthcare regardless of race, age, socioeconomic status, insurance status, or location.

Improving the quality of medical care for mothers before, during, and after pregnancy will reduce maternal deaths.

Let’s support all Texas moms.

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What we do

Our goal is to improve the 
maternal health of all Texas mothers.

 

Moms need our help—including single and married mothers, those in rural areas, and those seeking financial assistance. To support them all, we must protect and advance maternal healthcare through advocacy, education on key issues, and community building. And that’s what we continue to do with your support.

Our Goals for Texas

We have recently updated our Maternal Health Resources section to make it easier for Texas mothers to find accurate, up-to-date information. From pregnancy and postpartum support to food, housing, and diaper assistance, you’ll now find everything you need!

Mission Statement: Our core belief is that every woman has the right to safe, equitable, and quality maternal healthcare across the state, regardless of race, age, socioeconomic status, insurance status, or location. Working together, we can eradicate the health and racial disparities that continue to be significant drivers of maternal mortality and morbidity in Texas and across the U.S.

Find immediate support:

  • The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, text or call 1-833-TLC-MAMA.

  • Texas Lactation Support Hotline, free 24/7, 1-855-550-6667

Remember to look for urgent maternal warning signs during pregnancy and for a year after delivery.


 
 
 
 
 

Important Infant Formula Recall Notice

The FDA has announced a recall of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula due to a multistate outbreak of infant botulism. If your baby uses this formula, stop feeding it immediately and contact your healthcare provider with any concerns.

At Save Texas Moms, we know news like this can be stressful. You’re not alone—we’re here to help. Visit our Resources for Moms page to learn more about the recall, what symptoms to watch for, and how to find safe alternatives for your baby.

Aviso importante sobre el retiro de fórmula infantil

La FDA ha anunciado el retiro de la ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula debido a un brote multiestatal de botulismo infantil. Si tu bebé usa esta fórmula, deja de darle el producto de inmediato y comunícate con tu proveedor de atención médica si tienes alguna preocupación.

En Save Texas Moms sabemos que noticias como esta pueden causar preocupación. No estás sola: estamos aquí para ayudarte. Visita nuestra página de Recursos para Mamás para obtener más información sobre el retiro y cómo encontrar alternativas seguras para tu bebé.

 FAQs

  • Many Texas mothers struggle with limited access to hospitals, OB-GYNs, and midwives, especially in rural counties. Long travel distances, lack of transportation, high costs, and gaps in insurance coverage all make it harder to receive timely prenatal delivery and postpartum care.

  • A maternity care esert is a county where there are no hospitals offering obstetric services and no OB-GYN or certified nurse-midwives available. In Texas, approximately half of counties qualify as maternity care deserts, leaving thousands of mothers without nearby, essential healthcare.

  • Yes. Texas is among the states with the highest maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the nation. Texas mothers are more likely to experience pregnancy complications due to limited access to care, higher rates of chronic conditions, racial and economic disparities, and reduced postpartum Medicaid coverage.

  • Policies around Medicaid expansion, postpartum care coverage, hospital funding, rural healthcare support, and maternal mortality review committees directly impact mothers. State laws on reproductive health, midwivery licensing, access to doula services, and telehealth also shape access to care across our state.

  • You can support maternal health in Texas by advocating for better healthcare policies, volunteering with Save Texas Moms and other nonprofits addressing maternal health, and raising awareness about the unique challenges Texas mothers face in accessing safe, affordable care.

Make an impact today

Our work in Texas: Statewide + Local Impact

Save Texas Moms improves maternal health across Texas, with a special focus on the state’s Maternity Care Deserts—communities where pregnant and postpartum mothers face long travel times, limited broadband access, and fewer healthcare resources.

This Giving Tuesday, our statewide priority is launching The Mama Libraries, community-based, no-Internet-required maternal health resource hubs located in clinics, libraries, churches, and community centers throughout rural Texas.

At the same time, we continue our focus on underserved and rural families here in the Brazos Valley—our headquarters—and we would love your financial support in collecting diapers and baby supplies for the five Maternity Care Desert counties in the Brazos Valley: Madison, Grimes, Leon, Burleson, and Robertson.

3% Cover the Fee

Save Texas Moms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Our EIN (Tax ID) number is 82-4715158. Unless you tell us otherwise, every donation is treated as unrestricted and is applied wherever it can have the most significant impact on mothers across Texas. Save Texas Moms respects your privacy.

“With food stamp benefits being lost, our money that is typically used for diapers and wipes has went towards food cost.”

— Mother in Salado, TX

Thousands of Texas families face this same crisis each month as federal benefits shrink. Don’t let another mom make this impossible choice. Donate to a Diaper Bank near you.

Texas Right Now: The Facts for Texas Moms

The challenges facing moms in rural and underserved Texas are urgent—and solvable. Below are the latest verified showing just how steep the mountain is.

20% of Texas women ages 19-64 were without health insurance in 2023. Since Texas is one of only 10 states that did not adopt the ACA Medicaid expansion, some uninsured women fall into a health “coverage gap” and are not eligible for assistance.*

*KFF estimates based on the 2023 American Community Survey; KFF, Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions, as of Nov. 12, 2024

27% of Texas women ages 18-44 in 2022 reported a time when they needed to see a doctor but could not due to cost, compared to 17% in the U.S.*

*The Commonwealth Fund, 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care, which ranked Texas worst in the nation

49% of Texas counties are classified as Maternity Care Deserts, higher than the 32.6% in the U.S.*

*March of Dimes, Where You Live Matters: Maternity Care Deserts and the Crisis of Access and Equity, 2024

 
A Texas mother holding her baby while sitting on the floor.

Resources for Moms

Find the essential tools and information you need to support your journey through pregnancy and postpartum.

Doctor wearing surgical gloves gently holds a newborn baby immediately after birth in a hospital setting.

For Practitioners

Access tailored resources to help you enhance maternal care and deliver compassionate, effective support to your patients.

A pregnant Texas mother holds her hands over her belly in the shape of a heart.

Share your Story

Share or explore real pregnancy stories to inspire, connect, and empower women navigating their unique motherhood paths.

  • Black women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women.

    ~National Partnership for Women & Families

  • "I can't talk about fixing gaps without fixing the systems. Our heath care system is not set up for moms to recover postpartum."

    Dr. Phindile Chowa, 2025

  • “Maternal deaths are one of the most catastrophic things that can happen in medicine.”

    ~Dr. Elliot Main, former California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative Medical Director

  • “The most recent MMMRC report is deeply concerning and needs to be a wake-up call for anyone concerned about Texas moms and their families.”

    ~Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, 2024

  • “A lot of the severe morbidity is caused by lack of access, which is hard for me to comprehend.”

    ~Dr. Omonike Olaleye, Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation, Texas Southern University 

  • “We must prioritize eliminating racial disparities in maternal health ... to ensure that health and well-being, not just survival, become our measures of progress.”

    ~Terrance E. Moore, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, in response to the National Center for Health Statistics report on Maternal Mortality Rates, 2024

  • “If we’re going to make a dent in maternal morbidity and mortality, it’s going to take the entire house of medicine.”

    ~Dr. Kavita Shah Arora, at the 2024 American Medical Association annual meeting in Chicago 

  • “More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.”

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2024

  • "When we bury data, we are dishonorably burying each and every woman that we lost."

    ~Nakeenya Wilson, 2024

Our Maternal Health Partners

Houston Health Department
Texas Family Leadership Council
TAMU School of Public Health
Legacy Work Spaces
Child Trends
The University of Texas at Tyler
Akaweih Law
Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
Logo of the American Heart Association featuring a stylized red heart with a torch and the organization's name.
Brazos County Health District
Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Jacobs Giving Fund for their incredible generosity toward our mission’s healthcare goals.

  • “Where it's needed most.”

    Jacobs Giving Fund

    Outline of Texas with a blue heart inside, next to the words Save Texas Moms in blue and orange text.

An illustration of a Texas mother holding up her child.  A beautiful sign of maternal health.