Black Maternal Health: We Matter
I’m very unfamiliar with how I can be apart of contributing to making sure Black Mamas are taken care of while receiving maternal care.
However, I’m very aware that speaking out can make women; black women aware that the mortality rates for us are way higher than those of any race.
In 2018, black women were dying 2.5 times more often than white women while Hispanic women had the lowest rates of maternal mortality.
Long story short, it is believed that black mamas aren’t being taken care of as good as we should be compared to other races.
I can imagine the anxiety levels are high right now in pregnant women in relation to the pandemic. Loved ones, husbands, boyfriends, parents not being able to accompany you through this experience due to the health limitations is not of our benefit. We need that voice that’s willing to speak for us when we can’t.
I’ve had the best experience at University of Pennsylvania Hospital with my first child. So great that when I was pregnant with my daughter, I committed to taking off of work to travel to Philadelphia from North Jersey (1.5) hour commute once a month and eventually once a week for all my appointments.
I needed to feel as safe as I possibly could. I attempted at first to try the hospital that was literally down the street from me, FAIL. Between waiting three hours to see a doctor at my first visit and then being assigned an appointment date and time without being able to negotiate, that was my first and last visit.
The importance of having a great relationship with the person who will be delivering your baby, the importance of being able to communicate any concern without being brushed away is priceless.
I couldn’t let Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17) close out without providing some insight.
For expectant mothers...
According to the National Women’s Health Network, apart of the reason the mortality rate for us is so much higher due to childbirth related complications is because of these three things...
We aren’t taken seriously
We are often misdiagnosed
We receive the wrong treatment
65% of maternal deaths are preventable