POV: Actual footage of me unboxing my $5,000 “baby bonus” with @badgalrara. OK, but in all seriousness, in the last week and as recently as yesterday, @nytimes has reported there is talk of offering a $5,000 stipend for new mothers, in order to incentivize higher birth rates in the United States. Not only will any new mom tell you that this amount doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to the true cost of having a baby in the United States, it also highlights a massive disconnect in *actually* supporting women to have healthy pregnancies and births. Women’s health has been overlooked, underfunded and under-researched for decades. From 2013 to 2023, just 8.8% of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant spending was allocated to the study of women’s health.* This proportion has decreased, even as overall budgets have increased. If we want to talk about supporting women in their fertility, pregnancy and postpartum journeys, the priority should be increasing funding for women’s health research, paid leave and affordable childcare. Comment UNIVERSE to join us as we urgently call on Congress to increase federal funding for women’s health research. #FUNDWOMENSHEALTH *National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine