Advocates trying to keep pregnant Black women healthy…and alive

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Renewed awareness campaigns have focused on the health of pregnant Black women.

Studies by medical journals and government agencies show that they are more at risk of complications or death before, during or after birth.

There are known factors that lead to this disparity, but so far preventative measures have not helped enough.

“Black women die two to three times at a higher rate than their white counterparts from pregnancy related complications. And so if we know that black women are dying, then what can we do to help with that?” Lydia Amissah-Harris of Davenport, said.

Health experts think doulas, who provide 24/7 nonmedical support, can turn this deadly trend around.

Amissah-Harris is a community doula in Scott County and also a first-time mother to 3½-month-old Gianna.

Her experience giving birth was “a little scary and daunting. Even with having all the education and the knowledge that I do have surrounding birth work. Knowing what I know about black maternal health and maternal mortality, I was so fearful because it could easily be me,” she said.

Amissah-Harris’ hospital room was full of advocates: her husband Cory, her best friend, a doula communicating virtually – and both her mother and mother-in-law are nurses.

But she knows many women don’t have that support, and it can make a difference.

Studies (Illinois Mortality Report, CDC, JAMA) have shown that most pregnancy-related complications and deaths are preventable.

Experts think that doulas are a vital piece of the puzzle by providing comfort, support and education.

“I can definitely show up at appointments,” Amissah-Harris said. “Of course, be at the birth, advocating, making sure that they are feeling supported all throughout their laboring, and that they are aware of what is happening and what’s going on.”

That comfort and advocacy can lead to fewer complications and healthier births, according to Tina Greer from EveryChild in Moline, a nonprofit that supports pregnant women before, during and after birth.

“They reduce the risk of cesarean and reduce the risk of pain medication and interventions.”

As EveryChild’s doula supervisor, Greer said she gets more calls asking for a Black doula than she can accommodate. The organization has five doulas, one of whom is Black.

Amissah-Harris said having a Black doula can provide a level of trust inside a health care environment a woman might not have otherwise.

According to a Pew Research study, 10% of young Black women said they recently have not had their concerns taken seriously by health care providers.

“When I have someone who looks like me who’s in the room, I feel like I’m being heard. I feel like I’m being seen,” Amissah-Harris said.

In 2021, Iowa broadened its maternal health program with an initiative to enhance its Black doula network, which includes the Iowa Black Doula Collective, a Quad-Cities organization committed to reducing the maternal mortality rate.

In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker has recognized doulas as Medicaid-certified health care providers, simplifying the process for them to receive compensation.

Another issue of discomfort for Black women is the lack of health providers who are people of color.

Health advocates such as Birth to Five Regional Manager Emily Cummings agree that representation in health care is important.

“We need to recruit people of color to be in positions where they are midwives, doulas, because it’s important for people to see and experience closeness with people who look like them, and can support them,” Cummings said.

Greer said access is a significant obstacle. She said we need more OBs, more clinics – and more clinics that take Medicaid.

But that’s not all, Greer said.

“… How are they going to get there? Do they have time within their day to spend two hours on the bus to get somewhere that’s 15 minutes away by car and then also make it to work in order to take care of their family,” Greer said. “It’s a cycle that’s really hard to break.”

Lydia says doulas also can fill the gaps for rural women who have even less options for health care.

“When you have a doula that can, you know, drive up to you and maybe meet you at a library or even meet you at your appointment, that it goes beyond, I guess, the access of care, it’s more of being personable with the care, and making sure that they have support support all the way through.”

George Verastegui, the administrator at Rock Island Public Health Department, worked in the public health sector in California for several years.

A study of a San Francisco doula group in 2021 concluded that the scope of physical and emotional support by doulas is not equal to their compensation. If doula care is to be advanced as a health equity intervention it should be better funded.

Verastegui said the social determinants of health are being incorporated in their visits: education level, health care access, income and community. And after births, the department follows up on the mental and physical health of the mother, child and family.

The health department and programs such as WIC, EveryChild and Birth to Five also have the knowledge of nearby resources.

Amissah-Harris said the role of the doula cannot be underestimated.

“There are so many women out there who do not have familial support, they don’t have friends. A lot of the times, I’ve seen where women are walking through pregnancy and parenting on their own. That can do something to somebody on the inside that can make them feel sad, or maybe go through depression, or feel like no one cares about them. And that can impact how they experienced their birth that can impact them after birth.”

Amissah-Harris wants people to know that the problem with Black women dying is not new.

“This has always been an issue. And one thing I can say is, if we stay silent about what’s happening to black women in America, than nothing can change. And so we need to speak up, we need to start telling our stories.

“We need to not be afraid we need to seek communities that are going to embrace us and welcome us and make sure that we feel safe enough to talk, have these conversations, and talk about those things of that nature.

“I want people to know that if you know a black woman in your life, and she’s pregnant, or they’re pregnant, and they they’re complaining about pain, or they’re not feeling well. Make sure that you know you are advocating for them make sure that they know that they can advocate for themselves, and that they need to get the help that they need. They deserve to get the help that they need.”

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