2025 Leapfrog Maternity Care Report Highlights Ongoing Risks for Mothers and Newborns

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit focused on patient safety, has released its 2025 Maternity Care Report, providing one of the most comprehensive analyses of maternity care practices in the United States. The report draws on data from more than 2,400 hospitals, representing 80% of inpatient hospital beds nationwide, with approximately 1,700 hospitals reporting maternity care data.

As New York medical malpractice lawyers, this report reinforces a critical reality: while some progress has been made in maternity safety, serious risks remain—particularly for families delivering in states with elevated C-section rates, including New York.

What Leapfrog Measures—and Why It Matters

Leapfrog is the only organization in the country that publicly reports maternity care quality data by individual hospital at the national level. The 2025 report analyzes key aspects of maternity care, including:

C-section rates, particularly Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) C-sections
Episiotomy rates
Early elective deliveries
Availability of patient-requested services such as doulas, certified midwives, and VBAC
Newly reported disparities in C-section rates by race and ethnicity

This level of transparency provides critical insight into hospital practices that directly affect maternal and newborn outcomes.

C-Section Rates Remain High—Including in New York

According to the report, NTSV C-section rates remain high nationwide at 25.3%. These are first-time, full-term, low-risk births where C-sections are often avoidable when proper labor management is followed.

New York ranks among the states with the highest NTSV C-section rates at 28.3%, well above the national average. Elevated C-section rates are concerning because unnecessary surgical deliveries increase the risk of:

Maternal hemorrhage and infection
Surgical complications
Breathing complications in newborns
Long-term reproductive risks for mothers

In medical malpractice cases, excessive or poorly justified C-sections often raise serious questions about hospital protocols, physician decision-making, and failure to follow accepted obstetric standards.

Significant Reduction in Episiotomies—But Risks Persist

The report does show meaningful progress in one critical area. Episiotomy rates have declined by 73% since 2012, now averaging 3.4% nationwide. This reduction reflects increased adherence to evidence-based practices and has helped prevent thousands of avoidable maternal injuries.

However, reduced episiotomy rates do not eliminate the risk of birth trauma. Improper use of forceps or vacuum devices, delayed intervention during fetal distress, or failure to act when complications arise can still result in permanent injuries to newborns.

Racial Disparities in Maternity Care Raise Legal Concerns

For the first time, Leapfrog analyzed hospital-reported disparities in C-section rates by race and ethnicity. Alarmingly, one in five hospitals reported disparities between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White patients.

From a legal perspective, these disparities raise serious concerns about unequal treatment, implicit bias, and systemic failures in maternity care—issues that frequently emerge in medical malpractice and wrongful birth injury litigation.

Availability of Evidence-Based Maternity Services

The report also examined whether hospitals offer services proven to improve outcomes:

96.1% offer lactation consultants
89.7% allow doulas during labor and delivery
84.1% permit vaginal birth after C-section (VBAC)
81.6% offer postpartum tubal ligation
61.0% provide certified midwives during labor and delivery

While these numbers suggest progress, the absence of these services—particularly in high-risk or underserved communities—can contribute to preventable complications for both mother and child.

When Substandard Maternity Care Leads to Birth Injuries

Failures identified in reports like Leapfrog’s often mirror what is uncovered during litigation. Medical negligence during labor and delivery may result in:

Oxygen deprivation and brain injuries
Brachial plexus and shoulder dystocia injuries
Delayed or improperly managed C-sections
Failure to respond to fetal distress
Severe maternal injuries or death

When hospitals and providers fail to meet accepted maternity care standards, families may have grounds to pursue legal action. Experienced birth injury lawyers can investigate whether deviations from established safety practices contributed to a child’s injuries and seek compensation for lifelong medical care, therapy, and support.

Transparency Is Only the First Step

Leapfrog’s maternity care reporting plays an essential role in improving patient safety, but transparency alone does not prevent harm. Hospitals must act on this data, enforce evidence-based protocols, and address disparities in care.

When they do not, medical malpractice litigation remains one of the most effective tools for accountability—helping injured families recover compensation while driving safer maternity practices across New York and nationwide.