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According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the maternal mortality rate has more than doubled in the United States since 1987 , and approximately 700 women in the U.S. die each year of complications related to pregnancy. In addition, data shows that considerable racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist in the U.S. which disproportionately impact black women . We know that about 60% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable , and...

We at Better Beginnings are actively working to help women have a better birth and breastfeeding experience. Our virtual doulas are available everyday to support women one-to-one through their cell phones. This service is free to the mother call 415-663-6852. We also have taken the Breastfeeding Cafes virtual and continue to see women one on one for serious problems on Mondays by appointment (this requires pre-screening for risk factors). Women need to know their rights during this pandemic...

The health disparities that exist for Black mothers in America are well documented. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from childbirth than their White counterparts. Yet, aside from listing “being Black” as a risk factor for maternal death, little has been done to address this alarming statistic. The inaugural Black Maternal Health Week , held from April 11–17, 2018, sought to change this through offering a forum for continued conversation. Importantly, they shed light on...

By Xenia Shih Bion, California Health Care Foundation, April 20, 2020 Latoyha Young had a birth plan. She was going to have the baby in Sacramento with community doula Joy Dean by her side. Dean was funded by the county’s Black Child Legacy Campaign , which works to reduce the disproportional number of Black infant and child deaths in Sacramento. But in mid-March, when Young went into labor just as Governor Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to stay at home to avoid spreading the novel...

By MGH Center for Women’s Mental Heath, April 7, 2020. As mental health providers, most of us are not on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, we are feeling the ripples. Given the magnitude of this crisis and its significant impact on so many aspects of our everyday lives, it is likely that this experience will leave an indelible imprint on our psychological well-being for years to come. In an editorial in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , Dr. Marlene Freeman, associate...

Supported Birth during COVID-19 Are you pregnant/planning to deliver a baby in California in the coming weeks? Have you recently given birth in California? If you originally planned to deliver in a hospital, we would like to know if you have questioned that decision due to COVID-19? If so, have you tried to change your plan to deliver at home or at a birthing center? Have you subsequently experienced any challenges getting your insurance company to verify if your new/alternate birth plan is...

In this article, we will talk about one of the most common symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder – dissociation. We will explore different methods and tools that help us to reconnect with our body in the long term. Since one of those tools is therapy, we will also talk about the limits of talk therapy, and address how working with our body directly can teach us new and healthier responses when we are overwhelmed. Definition and Explanation of Dissociation For every trauma...

Please the attached toolkit for more information. From the toolkit: Best practices when working with clients Given how new this virus is, we currently have very little data on how it might affect pregnant people and newborns. Guidelines from the CDC outline recommendations for how to support pregnant and laboring people with Coronavirus. (3) There is currently no evidence that the virus is spread from mother to baby in utero, or that it is transmitted in human milk. (4)

Paid leave for parents during COVID-19 emergency

March 30, 2020, River City News The following op-ed is written by State Rep. Attica Scott (D-Louisville) As the only Black woman member of Kentucky’s state legislature and single mother of two, I know the importance of representing all of my constituents and leaving no one behind. Far too often in Frankfort, bills are passed and signed into law that will actually harm children who look like mine, hurt moms like me who know what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck or no check-to-no check,...

By Eileen Guo, March 26, 2020, NYT “I didn’t feel like it was unfair of the hospital. I thought it was unfair of the universe.” — Smita Nadia Hussein, a mother of two, who gave birth on March 17 in Morristown, N.J. [This article is a partnership between The New York Times and The Fuller Project . In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox .] On Wednesday, March 18, 28-year-old Latoyha Young and her mother, Thomasina Hayten, rushed to Sutter...

By Jamie Kenney, March 31, 2020, Romper The idea of staying home after birth, doing little but caring for your baby and healing while others tend to your wellbeing may sound like an unimaginable dream. But postpartum confinement traditions can be found around the world. While the specific rules about confinement vary from culture to culture, the fundamental premise is largely the same: female family members swoop in to care for a new mother, her home, and, when necessary, her baby. Mom is...