When a woman dies during pregnancy or after giving birth, it is a very deep loss. Our team wants to learn what happened so we can help prevent future deaths. One way we learn is by talking with the people who knew her best.
We may reach out to family members, friends, partners, or others close to your loved one. We invite you to share your loved one’s story in an interview. This is a simple conversation where you choose what to share.
Medical records tell us some facts, but your voice helps fill in the whole story. What you share helps us understand your loved one’s life and experiences. It also helps us improve care for families across Iowa.
List items for Maternal Mortality Interviews FAQs
An interview helps us learn things that records cannot show. We want to understand what her life was like. You may be able to tell us more of her story.
Your information helps our review team make better recommendations to keep other women safe during pregnancy and postpartum.
When we invite you to talk with us, we may contact you by:
Phone call
Text message
Email
Mail
You get to choose whether you want to take part. You can also say no at any time.
Most conversations last about 60- 90 minutes, but we can go slower or faster based on your needs.
We will not quiz you or ask for medical information unless you want to share it. We talk about general topics, such as:
What your loved one was like
Who supported her
Her experiences with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care
Any challenges or barriers she faced
Anything you think people should know
You can skip any question. You can take breaks. You can stop the interview at any time.
Here is how we use the information you share:
We combine it with medical and other records to understand what happened.
Our committee reviews all information to learn what could help prevent future deaths.
You can tell us what you think could have been done differently.
We remove your name and any details that could identify you or your loved one.
The interview is not part of any legal, criminal, or immigration investigation.
This is discussed in Iowa Code 135.43.
Our focus is learning and prevention, not blame.
Support Resources
We know this can be a very hard time. Support is available.
