In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to take a moment to recognize the disparities that Black mothers are still facing today when it comes to maternal healthcare. It reminds me that I still have a lot to learn about these inequalities – and what we might be able to do to address them.
I hope you will use the links and resources I’ve provided below and take some time this month to learn more about Black maternal health.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black mothers in the U.S. die at three to four times the rate of white mothers. A special series by NPR puts these numbers into a different perspective: “A black woman is 22 percent more likely to die from heart disease than a white woman, 71 percent more likely to perish from cervical cancer, but 243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy – or childbirth-related causes.” And, in a national study of the five most common complications that cause maternal death, Black women were two to three times more likely to die than white women who had the same condition.
The personal story that I think struck me most was the one of Shalon Irving, which I first read about in Harvard Public Health’s article “American is Failing Its Black Mothers.”
Irving had a PhD and worked as an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She was very aware of racial disparities, and wrote in her Twitter profile: “I see inequity wherever it exists, call it by name, and work to eliminate it.” When she had her baby at age 36, she knew that her pregnancy was risky, especially since she had a clotting disorder and a history of high blood pressure.
Here’s what happened to her:
For the next three weeks [after giving birth], Irving made visit after visit to her primary care providers…for spiking blood pressure, headaches and blurred vision, swelling legs, and rapid weight gain…Clinicians repeatedly assured Irving that the symptoms were normal. She just needed to wait it out. But hours after her last medical appointment, Irving took a newly prescribed blood pressure medication, collapsed, and died soon after.
Harvard Public Health
Here is another very well-researched, detailed piece on the issue of Black maternal health that I highly recommend reading:
An In-Depth Look at Why Black Moms Need to Matter More: Bringing awareness to the shocking statistics regarding Black maternal health by Alexis Dent for Healthline
From Dent’s article I also discovered the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, which seeks to “center Black mamas to advocate, drive research, build power, and shift culture for Black maternal health, rights, and justice.” They have some really great resources for learning more about the issue of Black maternal health.
The disparities that Black women face when it comes to their maternal healthcare are real – and scary. I encourage you to use the links and resources above to learn more.
