Giving Compass' Take:

• An investigation by USA today has revealed the the U.S. is the only developed nation with an increasing maternal mortality rate.

• California is the only exception to this trend. How can funders help other states learn from California?

• Learn how maternal mortality in the U.S. is increasing as infant mortality decreases.

The US is the most dangerous developed nation in which to give birth, an extensive nationwide investigation by USA Today has found.

Citing widespread negligence by doctors, nurses, and hospitals skipping basic, long-recommended safety practices that track the mother’s blood loss and blood pressure during childbirth has resulted in preventable blood clots, untreated infections, strokes, and deaths across the country, according to the report.

The investigation sheds insight into sobering figures released in recent years, showing that maternal death in the United States has been steadily rising and that the US now has the highest rate in the developed world, reported CBS News.

Between 1990 to 2015, the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 births in most developed nations — such as Germany, France, Japan, England and Canada — fell or plateaued to below 10, reported Newsweek. But in the US the figure jumped to 26.4.

Lack of training and lack of oversight is legion across the country, the report found, with the exception of California, where the maternal mortality rate has halved thanks to the adoption of safety measures.

Read the full article about giving birth in the U.S. by Joanna Prisco at Global Citizen.