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What's Good

•According to data from the CDC, maternal mortality in Massachusetts is especially low.

•The CDC reports very low infant mortality rates for Massachusetts.

•Just 4 percent of pregnant women in Boston admit to smoking during pregnancy, the 6th lowest rate in our survey. Nationwide, 8 percent of pregnant women smoke.

•Just 3 percent of pregnant women here receive late or inadequate prenatal care, the 9th best score in our survey. In the average city in our survey, 5 percent receive late or inadequate care.

•Air quality here is better here than most cities in our survey. Air quality has been linked to childhood asthma and fertility rates, among other things.

•By six months of age, 52 percent of Boston babies are still being breastfed. That's the 8th highest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 43 percent.

•Once Boston mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 21 percent more likely than average to continue through 6 months. That's the 4th highest level of follow-through of any city in our report.

•13.3 percent of births statewide are attended by midwives, compared to a national average of 7.3 percent.

•State laws require health insurance companies to provide or offer at least some coverage for fertility-related services.

•There are 128 percent more fertility doctors per capita here than average-the 2nd highest ratio in our survey.

•Boston has 5.9 NICU facilities per 10,000 births, 6th highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 3.4 NICU facilities per 10,000 live births.

•Boston has plenty of high-risk pediatricians, 279 percent more than average per capita and the highest in our survey.

•There are 8.3 licensed day care centers for every 1,000 children under 4 years. The average city in our survey has 5.9.

•Boston has a 24 percent lower property crime rate than average, the 8th lowest in our survey.

•Pedestrians have a 70 percent lower than average risk of being killed by a motor vehicle here-among the safest in our survey.

Needs Improvement

•According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Boston is 20 percent less affordable than average for cities in our survey.

•At $112, the average doctor's office visit here is the highest in our survey, compared to a national average of $82.

•Relative to population, Boston has fewer specialty retailers of healthy/organic foods and vitamins than most places in our survey.

•Massachusetts lacks progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.

•With one acre of parkland for every 263 residents, there's 121 percent less public park space than average here, relative to population.

•Boston has 8 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 5th lowest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.

•There are no state laws requiring day care workers to undergo special SIDS prevention training. Many other states mandate such training.

•Massachusetts devotes less money relative to population than most states to child car-seat-check stations.

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