Black moms matter

At approximately 1:30pm Saturday August 31.2013 my nurse came to me and said the words that changed my all natural birthing experience. “We have to put you on Oxygen and give you an epidural. Your oxygen level is tanking if we don’t do this now you’re going to die”. I looked at my Mother who knew my birth plan but she was tired of watching her only child strain through contractions every 2minutes for almost 24 hours without dilation. I didn’t respond to the nurse. Instead my Mother walked over to me and before she could say anything I told her “Mom I don’t care, I’ll die make sure my baby lives I don’t want any drugs”. She called the nurse back in this time it wasn’t my regular nurse but my best friends Mother. “Pleas take the epidural, it’s the only way”. She went on to explain to me that my asthma and anemia would mean that they’d bring me in for a csection now and I’d get a bigger epidural. Through prayer and gritted teeth I took the epidural and oxygen and they were right, it not only saved me but saved my daughter and parts of my birth plan.

It took me almost 7 years to reflect on that moment. I think of Sha’Asia Washington who was just a 26 year old Mom. Who was murdered at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, NY by negligent doctors. I think of Kira Dixon Johnson, (The daughter in law of Judge Hatchett) who was murdered at the hands of negligent doctors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Both of those women had complications during child birth and the doctors didn’t do enough to save them. There are so many more women I can name but I will focus on these two. In the case of Kira Dixon Johnson, her autopsy report showed that she died of “hemorrhagic shock, due to acute hemoperitoneum” (Source https://fabiosa.com/amp/ctentlfs-rsmkb-auhbl-pbhbl-phemk-judge-hatchett-has-to-raise-her-son-s-kids-after-her-daughter-in-law-passed-away/). In laments terms this means that her death was caused by injuries to her internal organs which caused her to bleed out.

Sha’Asia Semple (Washington depending on the source) was past her due date and went into the Woodhull Hospital for routine stress test. Not only was she there for two days unmediated she was hesitating about getting the epidural. Shortly after getting the epidural her complications began and she was rushed to the OR (Operating room) where her daughter was delivered but shortly afterwards. Unfortunately due to the complications following the epidural Sha’Asia passed.

There are so many stories of black women being scared to death of delivering in hospital because the mortality rate of Black Women giving birth is high. See charts below

Why? Why is it that Black Women have to succumb to our child birth as opposed to leaving the hospital with our babies? That is because there is a stigma that black women can handle pain a lot more than our counterparts which leads to health racism. There have been doctors who have spoken out and stated that they have been trained to ignore Black Women who are suffering and in pain because they are over exaggerating their pain. This ignorance has not only caused complications during labor but has also lead to the death of many mothers. I could have died giving birth to my daughter, but the nurses came in and talked out the options and really looked out for my health. Be mindful THE BLACK NURSES HELD ME DOWN! Unfortunately last year I almost had a fatal experience at Methodist Hospital. I went in due to chest pains and difficulty breathing; bare in mind I am an asthmatic. I watched as doctors rushed to other patients who were able body breathing but completely bypassed me 7 times before I used the little breath I had to scream “I’m dying give me oxygen”. They also knew at that time I was pregnant. Unfortunately I lost my child but still have my life.

We’re not taken seriously as black women in maternal situations outside of doulas. The alarming rate of mortality for Black Women has found the rise of Black Doulas and midwives. We have returned to our ancestral practices because Western Medicine has proven negligent when it comes down to taking care of Black Mothers. I cannot tell you the amount of time my friends have gone into the hospital to give birth and the one prayer we all have is that they come home safely. There are some who come home and then start internally bleeding because of an improper staple from c section or instead of allowing the placenta to be pushed out it is pulled out. We cannot have a discussion of Black Lives Matter without the discussion that the Black Mother Matters. We carry and give life. Without Black Mothers we will have no Black People.

When I deliver another child I hope to do so with a doula. If you are seeking a natural way to give birth check out https://instagram.com/nationalblackdoulas?igshid=1adytfrl4zig2(@nationalblackdoulas) and find your city and state. We need awareness to how black women are left behind on the maternal care discussion and it needs to happen now. We do not handle pain better than anyone else. When we say we are hurt or we have concerns LISTEN!

Xoxo Ms. Meeks