SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Each year, thousands of pregnant women face severe pregnancy complications. According to the CDC, Black mothers are three times more likely to die.
History shows minority groups haven't had fair opportunities when it comes to healthcare, which can have a devastating impact on their children. That's why Sacramento County Public Health and First Five Sacramento have partnered to create the Unequal Birth campaign, which hopes to address health inequities and improve outcomes for African American families.
Moniquia Andrews, a participant in the county program Black Mother's United, was pregnant with her first child last year. She said the program is like being in a sisterhood of people going above and beyond "to make sure you're comfortable."
"If you have an appointment and you may either need a ride, or a gas card, or you need diapers, or you actually just need someone to vent to because, you know when you're pregnant, you emotionally go through different things, like they're there," Andrews said.
Statistics show Black infants are known to have lower birth weights and higher rates of pre-term labor, causing them to die at twice the rate of white infants. That's why Sacramento County Public Health and First Five Sacramento help guide mothers to programs like Black Mother's United to close that gap.
"The reason is one that people don't want to hear. That reason boils down to systemic racism, institutionalized racism," Sacramento County Program Coordinator Donyale Abe said. "A Black mother might go in to see her doctor, or she might be in birth, right. And she might be saying, you know something doesn't feel right or I don't want to receive this treatment, and it is documented that they're not listening. What they're saying is discounted, and all of that plays a part in optimal health."
The Unequal Birth Campaign helps provide education, resources and even scholarships to Black students studying to become midwives. If you're interested in participating in the program, you can reach the Black Infant Health Line at 916-875-BABY.
"We want optimal health for everyone," Abe said. "This initiative is important to change that. I really think that everyone should have the best experience when they give birth. Birth is a rite of passage. It's our next generation."
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