I gave birth Initiative
Fighting the gaps that leave postpartum warning signs missed or ignored.
The I Gave Birth Initiative needed a system that could move life-saving information through complex healthcare environments with clarity and consistency. We partnered early to establish a brand identity that could carry sensitive maternal health information with trust, authority, and care.
That foundation supported the design and production of a comprehensive implementation toolkit used by hospitals, providers, and communities to recognize maternal warning signs during pregnancy and the critical postpartum period. Built for real-world use, the system combines clear visuals, accessible educational materials, and structured workflows to support training, communication, and long-term adoption.
North Carolina's maternal mortality rate increased sharply from 22 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019 to 44 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. Sixty-five percent of pregnancy-related deaths occurred post-delivery. These deaths are often preventable when warning signs are recognized and care is accessed quickly.
This work reflects our broader experience designing maternal and infant health education and provider training across healthcare systems, including tools built to support clear communication and faster action when it matters most. It builds on our approach to patient education in critical health topics where design has a direct role in protecting lives.
The challenge
Postpartum complications can happen to anyone, yet critical warning signs are often missed or dismissed. The barriers are systemic and complex:
Fragmented care across systems
Postpartum patients move between labor and delivery units, emergency departments, primary care offices, urgent care centers, and community health settings. When these systems don't communicate effectively, warning signs fall through the cracks.
Limited postpartum awareness among non-obstetric providers
Emergency department staff, primary care providers, and other clinicians may not immediately recognize postpartum-specific warning signs or understand the urgency of certain symptoms in recently postpartum patients.
Patients don't always know what's normal
New parents are navigating exhaustion, physical recovery, and overwhelming information. They may not recognize dangerous symptoms or may hesitate to seek care, especially if they've been discharged and assume recovery should be straightforward.
Inequitable outcomes
Black women in North Carolina are disproportionately affected by maternal mortality. In 2020-2021, about 56% of Black women who died within a year of giving birth died from pregnancy-related causes, compared to only about a third of white women.
The I Gave Birth Initiative needed:
A recognizable system that works across multiple healthcare environments
Educational materials for providers, patients, and families that are clear and actionable
A comprehensive implementation toolkit that healthcare organizations could adopt and sustain
Brand identity that conveys both authority and care in sensitive maternal health contexts
Our Approach
We approached this work as a systems design challenge. The initiative needed more than patient education materials—it needed a cohesive identity, a clear implementation pathway, and tools built for real-world adoption across diverse healthcare settings.
Brand identity that builds trust
We developed a visual identity system that could carry the weight of life-saving health information. The brand needed to feel credible, accessible, and caring—striking a balance between medical authority and human warmth. The identity system includes logo, color palette, typography, and visual language that works across digital and print applications.
Comprehensive implementation toolkit
We designed a 28-page implementation toolkit that guides healthcare organizations through every phase of adoption—from building multidisciplinary teams to staff training, workflow integration, and long-term sustainability. The toolkit includes templates, timelines, communication protocols, meeting agendas, and data tracking worksheets. It's structured to support hospitals, outpatient practices, and community organizations at different stages of readiness.
Services Goodfight Provided
Brand identity system including logo, color palette, typography, and visual guidelines
Brand identity system including logo, color palette, typography, and visual guidelines
Comprehensive 28-page implementation toolkit design and layout
Why We Fought for This Work
At Goodfight, we start with what's at stake. For the I Gave Birth Initiative, the stakes were clear: preventable maternal deaths are happening because systems aren't set up to catch warning signs early enough.
This fight was about designing infrastructure—not just materials, but a system that could actually move through complex healthcare environments and stick. When postpartum patients show up in an emergency department wearing an "I Gave Birth" bracelet, providers need to know what it means and what to do. When a new parent is trying to figure out if a symptom is normal or dangerous, they need clear, trustworthy information at 2 a.m. When a hospital is trying to implement a new protocol across multiple departments, they need structure and tools that make adoption possible.
We fought for this work because it reflects what we believe about healthcare communication: that good design can close gaps in systems, that clarity and care aren't opposites, and that tools built for real-world conditions have the power to protect lives.
This is the kind of work we do with maternal and infant health initiatives, public health programs, and healthcare systems working to improve outcomes for the communities they serve. We show up to build systems that work, not just ideas that sound good.