Monifa Bandele, vice president and chief partnership and equity officer at MomsRising, a decade-old organization that pushes for policy change on issues that affect women, says one of the driving factors in that morbidity rate is racism. And the studies back her up.
"One of the greatest athletes of all time could have lost her life because this is how black women are treated when they try to talk about pain," Bandele said.
Bandele says black women face a perfect storm of factors resulting in disbelief of their symptoms: inequitable access to health care services; a disproportionate rate of other mitigating factors, such as other illnesses and increased stress levels; and socio-economic pressures and disadvantages that aren't taken into consideration in the maternity ward.
"It's not just the experiences you have giving birth. It's all the health experiences of your life, and right now there isn't a social, psychological, economic level along with the physical level," she said. "There's so much that would make a high-risk pregnancy, other than just the vitals at the moment: Are you financially stable, are you a victim of domestic violence, do you have a consistent home, are you sleeping well, eating normally? ... There are other risk factors, and we are missing that holistic approach."
So, what can be done? Policy-wise, Bandele and Levy agree that Medicaid must be protected, and that written procedures must be put in place to weed out innate bias and stereotyping, so that when someone comes in during or after childbirth there are certain steps that must be taken, and conditions that must be ruled out, before the mother can be sent home.
"We need systems in place to bypass the current bias," Levy said. "A laminated card that EMTs have in the ambulances that run through the things they need to do for a woman who delivered who is short of breath. Don't just assume it's asthma; here are the things you have to do regardless. This has to be in place for women after delivery for three to six months. If women come in during that period, these are the things we have to rule out before we send them out the door. Those must be checked off."
For now, women must advocate for themselves and bring backup to hospitals and doctor's offices.
"You have to protect yourself. Get prenatal care if you can, a doctor, a midwife. Make sure you have an advocate with you when you go into the hospital so when you're giving birth, someone else can keep control of the system," Bandele recommended.
And what can women in general do to be heard?
"It's easy to think of us as hysterical or too anxious. In some ways, we may have to use some buzz phrases, like I feel like there is an elephant sitting on my chest for chest pain or shortness of breath," Levy said.
She also advised women write down their symptoms and patterns.
"When you write it seems more serious to both yourself and also your providers," she said. "Keep a diary of your symptoms, then you can say, 'Here, this is not just my perception. Here is my weight. Here's the objective data I've taken down myself.' "
from Don T Breathe - Google News http://ift.tt/2D7LDlN
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