In The Company of My Sisters
In the most recent studies, Alabama reflected a maternal mortality rate of 36.4%. Alabama is currently ranked as the third highest state in the nation with mothers dying due to complications related to childbirth. The most recent studies also highlighted the racial disparities within the maternal healthcare. Black/African American women are on record, dying at an alarming rate of 37.1%, while White/Caucasian women are on record as dying at 14.7%. So what is the issue?
I have been a Doula now for a while, serving MANY families (17 thus far during the current pandemic - Coronavirus). In my experience, I have had some GREAT experiences in hospital and some not so great experiences. I have also listened to women’s stories about their experiences. When asked, “What made you choose your provider"?” I’ve heard everything from “Well, (he/she/they) has/have been my doctor for YEARS..” to “I just really like the rooms and/or food.” Unfortunately, these are the most common replies I have received. So, I wanted to be able to share with the community how important it is to align your birthing team (provider, labor/postpartum support team, family etc) with your birthing plan to create a successful birthing outcome.
On September 18, 2020, I co-hosted a panel discussion with Jamilah, where we invited maternal healthcare providers and birth workers to talk with expecting mothers in the community. These healthcare workers included a Doctor of Obstetric Medicine, a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, a Registered Labor and Delivery Nurse, Midwifery students (CNM and CPM), Doulas, Lactation Counselors, and more. We had an amazing conversation with women in the community explaining our individual roles and how we work together collectively to care for our sisters in the birthing space. We had the opportunity to address their concerns, share our experiences, and offer alternative methods.
Interestingly enough, when Jamilah and I were discussing hosting this discussion, we expected it to be more of a learning opportunity for expecting mothers in the community. Little did we know, we, panelist, learned from each other as well. We briefly discussed how to adjust our roles to work BETTER together to bridge the gap between provider and patient/client. We also discussed other programs to serve as preventative intervention and learning prior to expecting mothers entering the birthing space.
We laughed, we encouraged each other, we poured out love and comforted our sisters. Here are a few brief words they wanted to share with you: