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What's Good

•According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Tulsa is 26 percent more affordable than average for cities in our survey.

•Oklahoma has particularly progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.

•Tulsa has 5.5 NICU facilities per 10,000 births, 7th highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 3.4 NICU facilities per 10,000 live births.

•Day-care centers in Tulsa are required by state law to meet special requirements aimed at reducing the risk of SIDS. Many cities and states have less-stringent or no SIDS-prevention programs for day-cares.

•In a comparison of inspection schedules for day-care centers, Oklahoma requires more frequent visits than average.

•There are 7.7 licensed day care centers for every 1,000 children under 4 years. The average city in our survey has 5.9.

•According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Tulsa has one of the best commutes of any city in our survey, it takes only 10 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

•8 percent of pregnant women here receive late or inadequate prenatal care. That's the 9th worst score in our survey, compared to an average of 5 percent.

•Just 67 percent of Tulsa mothers attempt breastfeeding. That's the 11th lowest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 75 percent.

•By six months of age, 70 percent of Tulsa babies aren't being breastfed at all. That's the 5th poorest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 57 percent.

•Not much can be done about the weather, but the local climate can be extreme -- not conducive to getting out and working off pregnancy weight gain.

•Once Tulsa mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 21 percent less likely than average to continue through 6 months. That's the 2nd lowest level of follow-through of any city in our report.

•Just 3.4 percent of births statewide are attended by midwives, compared to a national average of 7.3 percent.

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

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