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What's Good

•The CDC reports very low infant mortality rates for New Mexico.

•20 percent of babies in New Mexico are born via Cesarean section, among the lowest in our survey. The average is 27 percent.

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

•Albuquerque has 67 midwives for every 1,000 births, the 2nd highest in our survey. The national average is 37 midwives for every 1,000 births.

•With one acre of parkland for every 17 residents, there's 86 percent more public park space than average here, relative to population.

•Expecting and new moms have plenty of parks: Albuquerque's ratio of parks to residents is 1 : 1,399. The average in our survey is 1 : 3,790.

•Albuquerque has 48 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 4th highest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.

•Albuquerque has plenty of high-risk pediatricians, 98 percent more than average per capita and the 6th highest in our survey.

•New Mexico stands out in a measure of legislation related to cord blood education, research and related issues.

•State laws require stringent background checks for day-care workers.

•Albuquerque has 62 licensed home day cares for every 1,000 children under 4 years, the highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 13.

•According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Albuquerque has one of the best commutes of any city in our survey, it takes only 17 percent longer to drive the same route during rush hour than in free-flowing traffic. That takes a lot of pressure off parents rushing to day care at the end of the day.

Needs Improvement

•According to data from the CDC, maternal mortality in New Mexico is especially high.

•State laws do not require health insurance companies to provide or offer any fertility-related services.

•There are fewer advanced fertility clinics per capita than average here, the 5th lowest ratio in our survey.

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

•There are just 4.4 licensed day care centers for every 1,000 children under 4 years. The average city in our survey has 5.9.

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