What’s up y’all it’s @ferociousfem here on this lovely humpday!
Let’s get to it! Unfortunately, I’m coming to you all with a rather sad topic. In one of my last posts I briefly mentioned the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Patacamaya and how it is the third country with high rates for MMR. According to Alijazeera and its interactive tool they have been working to lower these rates and raise everyone’s awareness. However, where are the efforts to lower these rates in African-American (Black) women here in the United States??
Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes. Why? Is something wrong with black women? No. Is something wrong with the healthcare system and how black women are viewed in it? Hell yes.
Recently, a news article case came across my twitter feed with a smiling black mom and her young son, at first glance I was in awe, “look at that beautiful mom” the caption however was nothing to be in awe about. Kira Johnson, mom to a 19-month old, went in to deliver her second baby boy, Langston Johnson, and shortly after hemorrhaged to death. Below is the video that her husband, Charles Johnson made for her their story. I suggest you watch it before reading on.
photo creds:https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/mothers-matter/why-childbirth-is-a-death-sentence-for-many-black-moms/85-604079621 Charles Johnson has been fighting for justice for his wife continuously since her death, in the video we see them together on vacations with their 19-month old son and at their wedding in Mexico. Charles spoke of Kira’s pregnancy and that it was going perfectly, she attended all of her prenatal appointments, and everything was fine until he noticed blood in her catheter. He told the nurse of his discovery and they were supposed to put in for a CT scan “stat”, Charles assumed “stat” meant immediately and not 7 hours later. When the medical team finally performed the scan they discovered a pool of blood and that it was too late to do anything. Kira’s heart then stopped. Why didn’t the doctors listen to them?
Kira Johnson’s story is unfortunately not the first nor the last, and the rates aren’t going anywhere.
Just a year or so before Mrs. Johnson, Serena Williams, famous, olympic-medal winner tennis player, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, however she dealt with similar issues. Serena Williams was prone to blood clots and had a history of them so she knew how it felt especially after she had gone over each scenario with her doula before the delivery. After Ms. Williams went through her emergency caesarean she alerted a nurse that she needed a CT scan and a heparin drip, the nurse assumed that the medicine was taking a toll on her mind and that she didn’t know what she was talking about and gave her an ultrasound instead, Williams then reiterated that she needed a CT scan and not an ultrasound, the doctor then performed a CT to be safe and they found multiple small blood clots in her lungs and then began the medications. Would they have caught these clots in time if she wasn’t Serena Williams?
Probably not.
As a young black woman in America, I won’t lie stories like these scare me, why isn’t this being discussed more often? Why are there no efforts being made to ensure this doesn’t happen again, why, why, Why?
I’m not finished with this conversation and if you want to add anything, comment below! Let’s start talking!
Photocreds:
https://pixabay.com/en/belly-pregnancy-black-pregnant-1616246/
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
Wow! I found this article extremely interesting. I had no clue how poorly black women were treated in the healthcare system especially in terms of maternal treatment. No women should be receiving the treatment or questioning like those in the article. Doctors should always treat what needs to be done especially when there are two lives at stake, a mother and her baby. No black women should have to fear giving birth to a child as it should be a time of joy and excitement for the new mother and her growing family.
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What a greta article! I had no idea about this issue, possibly due to the fact that I am not apart of that community. However, it is time to get educated and fight for others who might not belong to your community. It is time to fight for the safety and the right to safety for everyone! Love this and thank you for you education!
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THIS! Yes! It is such an important issue to discuss. I mean ultimately, it’s depressing how although the United States is one of the most advanced countries in the world, we have one of the highest maternal mortality rates. “Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes,” now that is mind-blowing and concerning. The fact that the nurses waited SEVEN HOURS LATER to do a CT scan “stat” is one, disgusting and two, what in the world were they doing for seven hours? I wish doctors and nurses alike were held accountable for being racist and discriminatory. But by blaming that the medicine is clouding a black woman’s mental state is cowardice. Do your damn job doctors, I get it, you are still practicing (pun intended but not merited) but if you don’t do your job these ovaries are gonna bust your ass. Since no one else seems to be doing anything about it. Speaking of which, what are some suggestions you have for individuals to do their part in helping doctors and nurses not be blinded by prejudice and stereotyping and be held accountable for their actions. Are they even held accountably?
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This is crazy! As if pregnancy for women wasn’t hard enough! Thank you so much for writing about this issue. Although I was aware of what was happening- I realized after reading your piece that this is something I should be more educated on.
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