H.R. 8869 — Traumatic Births Research Act of 2026

This section limits eligibility for grants supporting integrated health care services for pregnant and postpartum women to States, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations. It requires the Secretary to conduct or support research on the impacts of traumatic birth experiences and post-traumatic stress disorder on maternal mental health, mothers, infants, and families, and on the link to severe maternal morbidity, with findings disaggregated by race and ethnicity. It authorizes $1,000,000 annually for this research for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

This section establishes a pilot program under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services awards grants to research the impacts of midwife-driven care models, relative to medical care models, on traumatic birth experiences and maternal mental health outcomes. It authorizes such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

This section requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit an interim report to Congress by the end of fiscal year 2028 and a final report by the end of fiscal year 2030 on research conducted or supported under section 2 and the pilot project conducted under section 3.