Last week, I was invited to the BlogHer Health Summit to speak about Black Maternal Health. Together with Kimberly Durdin, a licensed midwife, and Dr. Cindy Duke, the USA’s only dual fertility expert, led a discussion taht inspired, empowered and truly ACTIVATED the attendees. I was so honored to lead a discussion that empowered Black women to take charge of their maternal health and the steps we can all take toward more equitable healthcare.
Maternal health is the health and well-being of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods. It encompasses everything related to health care during these times including family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care.
These are vital parts of the maternal process, but unfortunately, a large percentage of black women don’t have adequate access to any of these. Financial issues, food deserts, endemic poverty, lack of resources, and so much more contribute to an incredibly difficult time finding access to care throughout the pregnancy process for so many Black women in our country.
Unfortunately, those healthcare disparities don’t just affect the mothers. Maternal healthcare is also directly linked to the health of the baby, both in the womb and after the baby is born. Inability to access proper healthcare before, during, and after birth can cause major health problems for both mother and baby.
So what can we do about it? That was discussed in depth at the BlogHer Health Summit. We shared resources to help mothers with everything from fertility issues to pregnancy education, maternal and infant health, and so much more. To watch the summit live and access helpful resources, visit the BlogHer Health page here linked here.