Virginia observes Black maternal health week
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — More happy, healthy babies and mamas. That is the goal of Black Maternal Health Week, which Virginia is observing for the first time from April 11 through April 17.
“I love that patients are advocating for themselves, or they say, ‘I’ve seen the news. I know that my risks are higher in pregnancy and what are we doing about that,” said Dr. Lindsay Speros Robbins, director of the EVMS Center for Maternal and Child Health Equity and Advocacy.
Robbins believes conversations like that are a great first step, but there are a lot things to work on, she said.
“Mortality rates are a reflection of the entire community,” she said, “not just [what] the health care system received. So I think we’ve got to focus on education and workplace changes.”
Women in vulnerable communities have worse outcomes so, Robbins said, we need to direct resources to those neighborhoods. She also said that employers should give moms the time they need to recover, bond with their babies and attend needed appointments.
“And not be in fear of losing their job or losing a living wage just because they have a lot of additional medical appointments for this very temporary time in their life,” she said.
That includes the six-week postpartum appointment.
“We make sure that a patient has a primary care physician who can manage hypertension or diabetes or hyperthyroidism, whatever it is,” Robbins said.
While many are dying during childbirth or before, she said a good number die postpartum. A heart condition called Peri partum cardiomyopathy can occur months after delivery and is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths.
So moms, don’t skip that six-week post-partum appointment, she said. Make sure you’re around to see that little one grow up.
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