Am I Qualified to Change How Black Women Give Birth
It is baby season around here! I have so many friends who either just had a baby or are about to have a baby. For many that is a joyous time filled with preparation and celebration, but so of us, especially Black women, this time comes with a ting of concern of will we make it. I know there have been several data points floating out there about Black maternity but I want to bring up a couple that absolutely scare the shit out of me.
1. Statistics show that Black women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy related death than white women. What’s worse is the CDC claims three out of five of pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented.
2. Underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease are leading causes of maternal death. Also Black women often develop preeclampsia and therefore have an approximately 1.7-fold higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease later in life.
3. Data shows that Black women often aren’t believed when they say they’re in pain, and much of that is due to discrimination bias in the health care industry
4. Not only are Black mothers at risk while giving birth… so are our children. Black infants in America are twice as likely to dies before their first birthday as white infants
5. Postpartum depression is debilitating and affects roughly 10%-20% of women who give birth. Black moms, however, are less likely to get the help they need. A study by the National institute of Health found that 8% of white women received treatment for their postpartum depression compared to 4% of Black women.
We have all heard of the stories of Serena William’s struggling to get a doctor to take her post birth concerns seriously, even though she knew her body and knew something was going wrong. We have seen news stories of an otherwise healthy Black woman dying after giving birth and leaving behind a confused and mourning husband with a new child. And if you are anything like me that is terrifying. As my husband and I begin to think about discuss starting a family, it wasn’t just about what happens at the hospital but how to set us up for success before and after. We began looking at Mid-wives and doulas and realized that there are not a lot of options if you are looking for a Black doula/midwife when resources are not an issue. What happens to those who might not be in a service area where doulas or midwives?
Meet this week’s guest, Cessilye Smith, founder and Executive Director of Abide Women’s Health Service in Southern Dallas. Cessilye prides herself on living in the gray and working through the messiness that life has to offer. Over the years she has witnessed the devastating impact of systemic failures in healthcare, housing & economics have had on the human condition. Having the ability to see the overlap in these structures has given her the drive to pursue justice in a way that brings unlikely people together. Cessilye's passion for Black women and for her community.
