South Georgia Advocates Battle Black Maternal Health Crisis
According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women nationally.
By Lenah Allen, WALB
Pregnancies are supposed to be the happiest time for a mother, especially when it’s time to finally give birth. But for Black mothers in South Georgia, it can be the scariest time as they face a greater chance of dying or losing their baby due to limited resources.
“It’s really sad. We’re still seeing cases of women, like numerous cases of women not only dying in childbirth but the women that are still here telling the stories of near misses in their pregnancy and their deliveries,” said Sherrell Byrd, executive director of SOWEGA Rising.
These complications are due to several factors, the biggest one being OB/GYN deserts. A map from the Georgia Obstetrical and Gynecological Society shows several closures of labor and delivery units throughout Georgia in 2020. What it doesn’t show is the newest closures that have multiplied in the past year.
“If you’re in a dire situation and you still have to travel an hour, an hour and a half, that still makes a difference on whether you can survive,” said Dr. Natalie Hernandez-Green, executive director of the Morehouse School of Medicine Center for Maternal Health Equity.
According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women nationally. What’s even scarier — state reports say 89% of those deaths are preventable.
But there may be hope.
“Basically working with babies, we’re creating art and we’re basically creating life,” said Sharri Anderson, owner of IV You Doula services.
People like Anderson are working to prevent more pregnancy deaths. With the help of a partnership between Morehouse School of Medicine’s Center for Maternal Health Equity and SOWEGA Rising, Anderson can now be an advocate as a doula to support Black women in need.
“A lot of their feelings, illnesses, and ailments that they incur during pregnancy are being neglected. It’s not really being heard because as an African American woman, we’re projected to be stronger but that’s where doulas come in,” she said. “That’s where family and sisterhood comes in because it’s OK to say I don’t know or I do need help. I’m trying to bring that natural awareness back to birthing, postpartum, you know, letting the mother know it’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to get some rest.”
In August 2024, SOWEGA Rising is sharing even more maternal health training and resources to prevent more mothers from losing their lives.
“There’s so much more that we need to do to ensure that all women, particularly women of color, women who are in a lower economic status have full access to healthcare during their maternal care journey,” Byrd said.