Black Maternal Health Week Part 1/2 - I remember during my pregnancy & post partum, one of my prayers was that I didn’t want to be a statistics (see below). I had to diligently do my part in taking care of myself & speaking up for myself & baby even when it wasn’t comfortable. . . Do you know what statistics I’m talking about? According to the @cdcgov the maternity mortality rate in the United States is 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. But by race, the rate for black women is 37.1 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 14.7 for white women & 11.8 for Hispanic women. In fact for a black college educated woman, the death rate is 5 times worse than that of white women. (Let that sink in). . . Everyone who hears these stats should be alarmed & advocate for equal care regardless of socioeconomic status or class. The health disparities we see in the black community is unacceptable & most of these deaths are preventable. While we know that there are multiple & systemic factors causing the disaprities, there’s a lot we can do to bridge the gap starting with us being more assertive when communicating & advocating for ourselves, loved ones, patients, neighbors, mothers, sisters to receive the best care possible. Black people, women, mothers and most especially black mothers deserve better. . . Part 2 - I’ll share a little bit about my experience as a mom & the life changing moments I had to speak up because what I thought would be a smooth induction when left from the beginning & my smile soon turned to tears. . . . . . . . . . #chigisworld #blackmaternalhealthweek #blacklivesmattertoo #blackmomsmatter #blackfamiliesmatter #healthdisparities #maternalmortality #preventivecare #preventivemedicine #healthadvocate #ttccommunity #fertilityadvocate #reproductivehealth #journeytomotherhood #pcospregnancy #fertilitysupport #preeclampsiasurvivor #csectionstrong #ivfsurvivor #maternalhealth #womenshealthmatters #endracialinjustice (at Sugar Land, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_C1bQCFfWJ/?igshid=13cygoxtzygil