Infant mortality

Infant mortality is a measure of how many babies die during the first 12 months after birth. It is usually measured as being a number of deaths for every thousand births. The rate of infant mortality in a given place is the total number of babies dying under one year of age divided by the total number of live births during the year, then all multiplied by 1,000. For example, in 2009 the infant mortality rate in the USA was 6.8.^[1] That means for every 1000 births, 6.8 babies will die before the age of one.

A map with the infant mortality rates; lower rates are lighter shades of yellow; and higher rates are darker shades of red

In 2013, the leading cause of babies dying in the United States was birth defects.^[2] Other common reasons that babies die include suffocating during birth, pneumonia, getting an infection soon after birth, diarrhea, malaria, measles and not having enough nutrients.^[3] It also includes problems during birth. For example the fetus may come out of the birth canal wrong, the umbilical cord may come out too soon, or labor may take too much time.^[4] One of the most common reasons that babies die that can be avoided is smoking during pregnancy.^[5] Drinking alcohol during pregnancy and taking illegal drugs also cause problems that may result in the baby dying.^[6] Many situational things can affect how often babies die. These include: how much education the pregnant woman got, what the place is like, politics in that place, and how much healthcare is available.^[7]