Why Financial Stress Is a Maternal Health Issue — and What We Must Do About It
At a time that should be filled with anticipation and joy, too many new and expectant parents are instead confronting a very different reality: rising healthcare costs, tightening public benefits, and the growing weight of financial insecurity.
It’s a story we don’t talk about enough yet it’s shaping the future of maternal health in this country. Because financial strain isn’t just an economic challenge. It’s a healthcare challenge.
And more specifically, it’s a maternal health and mental health challenge.
When Financial Pressure Meets the Perinatal Journey
Becoming a parent in the United States comes with staggering financial obligations. From prenatal visits and delivery bills to unpaid leave, childcare, formula or breastfeeding supplies, the price tag of early parenthood keeps rising.
And if government support phases out, many families will find themselves in the middle ground policymakers don’t want to talk about: earning “too much” to qualify for help, but not enough to manage the real costs of raising a newborn.
The consequences ripple quickly:
- Delayed or skipped prenatal and postpartum appointments
- Higher rates of anxiety and depression
- Increased feeding challenges without timely support
- More emergency room visits for preventable issues
- Disproportionate impact on families covered by Medicaid and BIPOC communities
Financial strain during the perinatal period doesn’t stay in the bank account it shows up in blood pressure, cortisol levels, sleep disruption, milk supply challenges, and mental health crises. It shows up in outcomes for parents and babies.
Economic Stability Is Healthcare
When parents worry about affording groceries, gas to get to a visit, or childcare so they can attend appointments, maternal health is fundamentally at risk. Food security, emotional support, and access to care are not “nice-to-haves.” They are clinical inputs to maternal health safety and success. Yet our traditional care models still assume time, transportation, flexibility, and disposable income, resources many families simply don’t have. The result is not only poorer health outcomes, but deeper inequities.
Virtual and Community-Driven Maternal Care Is No Longer Optional
To build a maternal healthcare system that works, we must design for real life, not ideal circumstances.
Virtual care models — including lactation support, postpartum mental health services, and ongoing care navigation — are part of the solution.
They remove barriers instead of stacking them:
- No time off work required
- No travel
- No childcare logistics
- Support when questions arise — not weeks later
- Lower cost and higher flexibility
This isn’t just convenience innovation.
It’s care equity innovation.
It’s outcomes innovation.
It’s economic resilience innovation.
And it’s one of the most proven levers we have to prevent complications, reduce avoidable utilization, and build healthier families.
We Know Virtual Care Isn't a Paycheck, But We Must Use the Tools We Have
Let’s be clear: virtual maternal healthcare won’t pay the rent or put groceries in the fridge. It won’t replace SNAP benefits or solve wage inequity.
Families need and deserve real economic support alongside clinical care.
But while we push for systemic change, we also have to act with the tools in front of us. Virtual support is one lever we can pull right now to reduce barriers, ease stress, and catch issues before they become crises. If we say we value families, if we truly believe the family unit matters, we cannot ignore the practical solutions already at our fingertips. This is one way to stand with parents while we advocate for the broader policies and safety nets they need. Maternal health is economic health. When families thrive, society thrives.
It’s time to build a care system that reflects that truth.
