Overall, Maine has the lowest birth rate in the nation, and an infant death rate of 5.7 deaths per 1,000. This is significantly lower than the national average of 6.5. The 1996 , “48 hour law”, mandating at least 48 hours of hospital care to mothers who deliver their baby vaginally, and 96 hours to those who deliver by cesarean section further reduces health risks. **I should note that this mandate did increase the overall cost of private insurance, a consequence which is now being introduced into health policy discussions. Maine teens, aged 15-19, have a birth rate significantly lower that the rest of the US —30.4 vs. 45.4; again reducing the risk to infants. In 1998, “nearly 91% of the mothers who had * babies received adequate or more than adequate prenatal care.

Our ‘problem’ is easily pinpointed by correlations to low birth weight (25 times more likely to die in first year), unmarried mothers (54% higher), mothers who ignored prenatal care until their seventh month (infants that are 2.5 times as likely to die),   ‘ignorance’ i.e. the 500 mothers who in 1998 received inadequate prenatal care; and ‘poverty’ since Medicaid coverage is far less than private health insurance. The problem is also localized in specific counties, like Oxford .

So overall the health of infants when compared to the rest of the nation is fairly good, there are many specific programs addressing various needs like SIDS and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and there is actual competition among advocacy groups to see that every possible threat results in some kind of well funded, state-wide network.

  also raise the perennial ‘chicken & egg’ discussion that because we spend so much money in this area, we have better infant health.