NEW ORLEANS — Every April, Black Maternal Health Week focuses on ways to help prevent the serious health complications that are more likely in African American expectant mothers.
So we get a doctor's advice to improve health outcomes.
Melody Segue and her two sons are healthy, but seven years ago, when Isaac had to be delivered by emergency c-section, things could have taken a tragic turn.
“I know with the first one I could have been a statistic. I could have been someone who died in childbirth,” said Melody Segue.
Despite warning signs of preeclampsia, the terrible swelling in her feet, the high blood pressure, and shortness of breath, it was not diagnosed. So when baby Levi came along last year, she made sure she did her homework and found a doctor she trusted.
“We need our mothers to access care before they even get pregnant. For those moms that have a medical condition, such as hypertension, and diabetes, we want to get those things under control and optimized before pregnancy,” said Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, an Ochsner OB-GYN who is Section Head and Senior Site Lead at Ochsner-Kenner. She is also the Medical Director of Quality for Women’s Services.
The physician Melody turned to Dr. Gillispie-Bell. She says in the U.S., black women are three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy problem than white women.
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Pregnancy & Black women
Leading medical causes of death
- High blood pressure
- Bleeding
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Pregnancy & Black women
Leading overall causes of death
(up to 1 year after pregnancy)
- Homicide
- Drug use disorder
- Car wrecks
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“Substance use disorder is one of our leading causes of maternal mortality in Louisiana. We know across the country, especially with COVID, the rate of substance use disorder has increased,” said Dr. Gillispie-Bell.
Diabetes and stress also contribute to why preterm births are 50 percent higher in blacks than whites. Social issues also impact health.
“We have higher rates of crime, there are targeted tobacco ads, there's less green space, there are higher areas of dumping grounds, factories, less access to health care,” Dr. Gillispie-Bell said of neighborhoods where minorities of lower-income live.
And the numbers don't get much better for those with a college education.
“A black woman with a college degree is twice as likely to experience maternal morbidity compared to a white woman with an eighth-grade education,” she said.
Her advice is to have a good relationship with your doctor, where you are comfortable asking any question, concerns are taken seriously, and constant information is shared about pregnancy and the hospital team.
That's what Melody got the second time around.
“I felt like I was in good hands. I knew that if something did go wrong, I had a good doctor. I had a good relationship,” said Segue. And she has a healthy baby.
Knowing that Melody was at risk for preeclampsia, during her second pregnancy, she was treated with medication and more specific exams throughout her pregnancy.
FOR MORE:
Partners for Family Health Louisiana: Easy-to-access health resources information from the Louisiana Department of Health's Bureau of Family Health.
1-800-251-BABY: Phone line and website to help connect families to resources in Louisiana.
Black Mamas Matter Alliance: A Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance that focuses on advocacy, research and Black maternal health, rights and justice.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Minority Health and Health Equity: Information and education about reducing Black Maternal Mortality.