Prompted by the release of data by MuckRock, reporters at The News & Observer set out to examine why more women in the U.S. and North Carolina are dying of pregnancy-related complications.

With the help of maternal mortality experts, MuckRock is releasing a first-of-its-kind dataset that includes nationwide and a selection of statewide data on maternal deaths during the pandemic. We’re also asking for people who have experienced the death of a family member or friend from pregnancy-related complications to tell us their stories.