Finalist: Take Care: The Blood, Milk, and Tears of the American Postpartum Journey
Take Care: The Blood, Milk, and Tears of the American Postpartum Journey is a photographic documentary project chronicling the most ignored stage of the birthing experience. It’s not about pregnancy. It’s not about birth. It’s about the 365 days after birth: the postpartum period.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 80% of maternal deaths are preventable. Most of these deaths (65%) occur during the postpartum period.
While some maternal deaths stem from mental health, 77% are from physical health complications.
Despite these alarming statistics, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women receive 15 in-person medical checkups before birth, but only one after birth. Still, 40% of women receive no postpartum care at all.
This photographic essay follows multiple women in America during their postpartum period, revealing the health complications that many experience but we rarely see.
Sierra’s Heart
Sierra Hill holds a photograph of her heart in Winder, Ga., on Feb. 27, 2024, that was removed during a heart transplant after her heart failed from postpartum cardiomyopathy at eight months postpartum. While Hill had hoped her life would return to normal after her surgery, her body appears to be rejecting the new heart. In May 2024, her doctors re-listed her on the transplant list, and she is awaiting a second new heart. Hemorrhage, high blood pressure, infection, and blood clots are leading physical health complications that cause maternal deaths in the U.S., but the number one issue is heart-related conditions.
