I write about maternal health a lot on Social Good Moms and sometimes I don’t write enough about newborn health. I saw some interesting information this month about the best and worst states to have a baby and thought the data was interesting to share. The data was compiled by Wallet Hub.

They compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across four key dimensions:

• Cost
• Health Care
• Baby-Friendliness and
• Family-Friendliness

Additionally, across these four dimensions, they evaluated 30 additional metrics including infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, Cesarean deliveries, preterm birth and low-birth weight infants.

The best and worst states are listed in the table below. One of the most important things for all parents to check for is their newborn health screenings. You can find yours based on your state at Baby’s First Test. And in North Carolina, mothers can sign up for an additional two free tests ( fragile X syndrome and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA))at EarlyCheck.org. The tests are led by RTI International.

BEST		WORST
1	Vermont	42	West Virginia
2	Massachusetts	43	Florida
3	North Dakota	44	Nevada
4	Rhode Island	45	Arkansas
5	Minnesota	46	Georgia
6	New Hampshire	47	Oklahoma
7	Washington	48	Louisiana
8	Colorado	49	South Carolina
9	Connecticut	50	Alabama
10	Utah	51	Mississippi

Best vs. Worst

• Mississippi has the lowest average annual cost for early child care, $3,192, which is 4.9 times lower than in the District of Columbia, the highest at $15,515.
   
• Alaska has the lowest share of childbirths with low birth weight, 6.19 percent, which is 1.9 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest at 11.60 percent.
   
• The District of Columbia has the most obstetricians and gynecologists (per 100,000 residents), 25, which is 25 times more than in Oklahoma, the fewest at 1.
   
• Massachusetts has the highest parental leave policy score, 160, while 9 states, such as Alabama, Michigan and South Dakota, tie for the lowest at 0.

To learn about the data visit WalletHub.com.