The True Cost of Postpartum Neglect
Postpartum Support Isn’t Optional. Here’s the Proof.
In the United States, postpartum care—whether planning protected time off, receiving household help, arranging meal delivery, scheduling midwife or doula visits, or hiring live-in support—is often treated as a luxury.
It’s seen as a privilege for the fortunate few, brushed off with an “Oh, that must be nice.”
Not only is this short-sighted, it is also statistically false.
The actual cost of neglecting postpartum support is high: not only for the individual mother and her family, but for society as a whole.
Research shows that maternal mental health is one of the most fragile yet overlooked aspects of the postpartum season, and can be supported through the right kind of help, community, and care.
According to the research:
1 in 5 mothers experience postpartum mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety
75% of those affected remain untreated
Untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) cost $31,800 per mother-child pair within 5 years postpartum
Equaling $14.2 billion in total costs for the United States
The question isn’t whether postpartum support is necessary. It’s whether we invest in the mother’s wellbeing now, or pay far more later—as individuals, as families, and as a society.
Below is a breakdown of the financial costs of neglected maternal mental health.
The Cost Breakdown
The financial impact of untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) can be broken down into three key areas: maternal economic costs, maternal health care costs, and child development costs.
1. Maternal Economic Cost
The largest contributor is the loss of economic productivity for both the individual and society. This can be broken down into:
$888 in absenteeism (missed work) per mother per year
$2,871 in presenteeism (working while unwell) per mother per year
$40,478 in lost output due to increased unemployment
Together, these factors amount to an estimated $4.6 billion in economic costs nationwide.
Of course, there’s not only the tangible financial loss, but also the invisible cost of potential: the creativity, leadership, and contribution of mothers who are unable to thrive when support is lacking.
2. Maternal Health Care Costs
Health care expenses also rise significantly for mothers whose PMADs go untreated. The following reflects both personal and systemic strain:
$318 increase in individual out-of-pocket health care costs per year
$1,619 increase in insurer-paid expenditures per year
Together, these add up to an estimated $3.4 billion in additional health care spending across the United States.
Behind these figures are mothers navigating a fragmented system, often paying more for care that arrives too little, too late.
3. Child Development Costs
Research shows that when PMADs go untreated, children face higher risks of developmental and health challenges, leading to increased societal costs:
Behavioral and developmental disorders: $1.6 billion
Asthma: $262 million
Obesity: $31 million
Injuries: $18 million
Together, these outcomes result in an estimated $2.9 billion in additional child health and development costs affecting both individual families and society as a whole.
Reimagining Cost vs. Investment
With the data above, the myth of postpartum support as a “nice-to-have” crumbles. Neglecting maternal mental health is not only expensive, but its impacts many across generations.
Postpartum care isn’t a cost to be avoided, but rather an investment to prevent higher costs in the future.
Many nations around the world understand this, whether through government support or cultural understanding.
Somehow, America seems to have missed the memo.
Instead of thinking of postpartum care as a luxury reserved for a fortunate few, what if:
We began to talk about postpartum support in the same way we talk about education or retirement savings?
Families pooled resources for postpartum care the way they do for wedding and baby registries or bridal and baby showers?
Employers saw supporting new mothers not as a perk, but as a long-term investment in workplace retention and leadership?
We need to stop being short-sighted and start thinking long-term—as individuals, as families, and as communities.
Beyond the Numbers & Planning Ahead
At Mother First, we know that the cost of neglecting postpartum care isn’t just measured in dollars.
It’s also measured in:
The energy drained from a mother’s body
The joy stripped from her early days with her child
The emotional stress placed on her family
The cracks that form in her relationships under the weight of exhaustion
The desire for future children diminished by a difficult first experience
These invisible, yet very real, costs shape a mother’s daily reality. And they too often go unspoken, unseen, and unsupported.
Through the Mother First Survey, women repeatedly share the same sentiment: they were unprepared for the realities of postpartum and lacked the tools or language to express how they felt and to ask for help.
How Mother First Can Help
This is why, at Mother First, we encourage women to begin planning their postpartum experience before the baby arrives—so you can enter motherhood supported, informed, and prepared.
Support isn’t something that magically appears. It’s something you plan for. It also isn’t something that you earn after you are already exhausted. It’s something you deserve from the start.
Mothermoon™ was created for this very reason: to help you envision, plan, and prepare for your postpartum with intention.
If you’re ready to change how postpartum looks like for you:
