Maternal Mortality - Callaghan O'Hare's Portfolio

Zak Tiemann, 34, dresses his daughter Zoey, 4, in a nightgown before putting her to bed.

For Reuters:

26-year-old Amanda Eve Garcia died 8 days after giving birth to her second daughter. Amanda had a routine pregnancy. She received a cesarean section at a hospital outside of San Antonio and was discharged within a few days.

Once she was home, Amanda began feeling intense pain. She complained of being hot, but her body was cold to the touch. An ambulance rushed her to the hospital, where she died that day.

Her boyfriend Zak Tiemann, now takes care of their two daughters, Zoey, 5, and Zayleeana, 3, alone.

"I just feel like they're missing something," he said.

Amanda is one of an estimated 700 women who die of pregnancy-related complications each year in the United States. The United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world, and - according to ProPublica and NPR - it's getting worse.

The Rate of maternal mortality is 3-4 times higher among women of color in the United States, and for every 100,000 live births in Texas, there are 14.6 maternal deaths.

"I just look back and wonder if it could've been prevented. But I don't know," Zak said.

Zayleeana Tiemann, 3, leans her head back while wrestling with her father and sister at their home in Seguin, Texas.

Zayleeana rests her head on Zak's chest before going to school.

Zoey and Zayleeana eat popsicles in their room.

Zak rubs his eyes after reprimanding Zayleeana for fighting with her sister.

Zoey and Zayleeana laugh at their paternal grandmother's dog during a visit to her house.

Zak rests on the couch while his children play at their home.

Zak and Zoey peer out of a window as their dogs bark at a passerby.

Zak and Zoey wait for the rest of their family to arrive before Zoey's first day of school.

Zayleeana and Zoey play on the boat parked in their family's driveway.

Zayleeana plays in a pool before a small memorial honoring the life of her mother, Amanda Garcia.

Zak holds an urn during a small memorial honoring Amanda Garcia's life.

Zak applies lotion to Zayleeana after her bath at the family's home.

Zak closes his eyes while Zoey presses her hands to his face.

Zoey squirms while Zak brushes her teeth.

Zoey flexes her muscles in the mirror alongside her dad, Zak, before her school's "superhero day."

Zak carries a sleeping Zayleeana into the house after a family trip to the river on Father's Day.

Dressed as Elsa from Frozen, Zoey looks at Zak while they trick-or-treat with her family in a nearby neighborhood.