Black Maternal Mental Health Week
We are moving towards the end of Black Maternal Mental Health Week. Did you learn anything to take with you as you work with the Black community? Not quite? Well you are in luck. Black maternal health is something I could wax poetic to at the drop of a hat. As it is Black Maternal Mental Health Week, I want to explore some of the numbers we see in the media. I surveyed a little over fifty BIPOC birthing persons and found 66% of them had mixed feelings when they discovered they were pregnant. An additional 8% had fear or concern. Why is this significant? According to Seleni.org, 44% of African Americans reported depressive symptoms two weeks post birth. If we know our client is experiencing mixed feelings or concern, we can move to be more proactive and less reactive. I asked the birthing persons in the same survey what some of their concerns were. The BIPOC mortality rate was the top concern followed by financial concerns and tied for third was relationship concerns and the healthcare provider’s compassionate care/bedside manner. The BIPOC mortality rate has been in the media lately and many of us know about the healthcare disparities we face as a birthing person. If you are not hip to the numbers, the CDC stated the BIPOC disparity sits at 2-3x higher than our white counterparts. After the age of 30 the rate increases to 4x higher. Naturally, there would be some mixed concerns when disparities are present. Fortunately, the CDC says 60% of these pregnancy related deaths are preventable. The numbers do not have to be this high. It would take healthcare providers checking their internal bias and actively seeking materials and guidance for best practices.
What exactly can a healthcare provider do when concerns within the BIPOC center around relationships and financial concerns? Step one would be to educate yourselves on the disparities that exist within the Black communities. Presently, there is disparity within the community with the marriage rate for Black households sitting at 28%. Black women are paid at 62 cents to the white man’s dollar. The average cost to raise a child from birth to 17 sits at $233,610. Imagine the concern of having to raise a child on a fraction of what a white household would make. Chances are the white household has two incomes and/or is making more money. If there is resistance as you read this such as, “Well they should make sure they choose the right partners” or “Maybe they should get a better education,” I ask you to turn inward. Black women have the highest rate of conferred post secondary degrees***. Yet we are still paid well below our white counterparts. Also in 1970 the marriage rate for Black women sat at 92.2%.**** Social scientist attribute the decline of marriage to different variables such as greater acceptance of premarital sex, less stigma around divorce, and lack of marriageable partners due to unstable labor and wage rates within the Black community.**** It is important to emphasize the disparities in wage and employment as this is a continued systemic pattern contributing to various disadvantages in the Black community. All that to say equity and reducing disparities is not as simple as choosing better. Where there was an option, Black women have chosen better and yet disparities still exist. The better answer is to take on the fight of allyship and help reduce the effects of white supremacy.
Education on racial disparities and white supremacy should never stop. Once you feel you have a good grasp of disparities that affect your clients or even your friends, move towards action. As a healthcare provider you can create a resource list consisting of BIPOC professionals you can refer your client to for further assistance. Do you know the local Black and BIPOC doulas in your community? Do you have a relationship with these professionals? Perhaps working on connecting and sustaining a professional relationship would benefit your clients as well as the community because you are providing an influx of clients and dollars into a BIPOC business. A quick Google search will help you find local BIPOC business owners that could benefit your clients. Call them up, have a Zoom coffee date and get to know them as you create a resource list.
I hope you find this post helpful. For more information, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can find me via email: Reketta@rspconsultingllc.com.
*Karras, T. (2018, March). Why Black Women Face A Higher Risk But Receive Less Treatment. https://www.seleni.org/advice-support/2018/3/16/pmads-such-as-ppd-and-anxiety-in-african-american-moms
Raley, R. K., Sweeney, M. M., & Wondra, D. (2015). The Growing Racial and Ethnic Divide in U.S. Marriage Patterns. The Future of children, 25(2), 89–109. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2015.0014
**Snider, S. How Much Does It Cost to Raise A Child? Paragon Wealth Strategies. https://www.wealthguards.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-a-child