Black Maternal Health Week 2024
April 11 through 17 is Black Maternal Health Week 2024, which is a "week-long campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Mater Alliance to build awareness, activism, and community-building to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people. The week is intentionally held during National Minority Health Month and begins on April 11th annually to join dozens of global organizations in marking this day as International Day for Maternal Health and Rights - an opportunity to advocate for the elimination of maternal mortality globally." This observation is especially important in acknowledging the preventable maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity experienced disproportionately by Black women, who are 3x more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death compared to white women, and these disparities increase to 5x for college-educated women.i
How is this relevant to SUPR's work?
In the period of 2018 to 2020, "the leading cause of pregnancy-related death was substance use disorder, which comprised 32% of pregnancy-related deaths" in Illinois.Homicide and suicide are also among the top five causes of maternal mortality, and experiences of domestic violence and trauma significantly increase the risk of substance use. These issues impact women across racial and ethnic identities and income levels, but Black women and those with low income typically experience greater barriers to accessing resources that could help address these issues.
Scope of Maternal Mental Health Issues
- 1 in 3 births are trauma
- 1 in 6 women who have experienced abuse were abused for the first time while pregnant
- As many as 50-75% of new mothers experience "baby blues"
- Up to 15% of these women develop postpartum depression
- About 5% of women reported persistently high levels of postpartum depression symptoms for three years ateer giving birth
Increased Risk of Maternal Substance Use
In addition to the above maternal mental health issues influencing an increased risk of substance use, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing reported that 1 in 300 women will experience persistent opioid use after a cesarean section. According to March of Dimes, 31.0% of live births in Illinois were cesarean deliveries in 2021, and Black birthing people have higher rates of Cesarean delivery, influenced by medical racism and bias. These inequities stem back to the teachings of "the father of modern gynecology," who believed that Black people do not experience pain the same way white people do and tortured enslaved African women in his experimentation. Many of those racist beliefs are perpetuated today, and Black patients are often not taken seriously when reporting pain.
How can you help improve maternal health outcomes?
- Encourage pregnant people with substance use disorder to be honest with their health care providers and ask about options for prenatal care and treatment for pregnant women who use, but to also be prepared to advocate for themselves within the health care system.
- Develop rela??onships with local maternal health organizations to identify opportuni??es to improve coordina??on of care.
- Offer trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to birthing people.