ROANOKE, Va. – This article is part of “Solutionaries,” our continuing commitment to solutions journalism, highlighting the creative people in communities working to make the world a better place, one solution at a time. Find out what you can do to help at SolutionariesNetwork.com.
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Kenda Sutton-El will never forget the moment she helped save a mother’s life.
The doula had been assisting providers with a fibroid pregnancy. Tensions were high and anticipation hung in the air as everyone prepared the soon-to-be mother for a natural childbirth.
But there was one major problem: the doctors continued to insist that the patient had a 2-centimeter fibroid rather than a 9-centimeter one like the medical charts indicated, according to Sutton-El, who tried to alert them of this but to no avail.
After the mother gave birth to a healthy baby, there was blood everywhere.
“They were like, ‘She must have torn somewhere,’ and I had to reiterate that it’s probably the fibroid that has done this, and they were like ‘A fibroid?’ and they were looking puzzled, and I was like ‘Yeah, it’s 9 centimeters,’” Sutton-El explained. “And so that’s when everything hit the fan, and we were all trying to help stop the bleeding.”
Thankfully, everyone’s quick actions helped save the mother’s life, but Sutton-El felt it was too close of a call.
“If this is happening, and I’m having to repeat that she has a 9-centimeter fibroid and everyone is acting like they forgot, just imagine how many more women this happens to,” she said.
What the data shows
Unfortunately, what Sutton-El witnessed that day isn’t a rarity. About 50,000 mothers experience severe health complications in childbirth and nearly 700 die from pregnancy related-causes on average each year, 60% of which could’ve been prevented, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Research conducted by the CDC indicates the maternal mortality rate, defined as the number of pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births, has been increasing steadily in the US for nearly 35 years.
The US was also declared “the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world” in an investigation by USA Today.
This is especially true for Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women, who are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their White counterparts, according to the CDC.
In fact, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women in 2020 was 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births; non-Hispanic White women on the other hand had a rate of 19.1.
Here’s a more comprehensive look at pregnancy-related deaths by race in the US:
In addition, these trends persist regardless of one’s education level.
To illustrate, research from the CDC shows that the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for Black women with at least a college degree was 5 times as high as White women with a similar education.
Experts say racial disparities in the healthcare system are a driving force for what’s been referred to by some as the Black maternal mortality and morbidity crisis.
Some of the contributing factors are as follows, according to researchers:
| Contributing factors | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Systemic racism | In a textbook titled “Feminism & Bioethics: Beyond Reproduction,” (pg. 116-43) Dorothy Roberts claims the persistent dehumanization of Black women in our healthcare system stems from a racist history of medical experimentation. |
| Implicit bias | A BMC Medical Ethics academic article titled “Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a Systematic Review” found that implicit bias in healthcare professionals can result in lower quality care (e.g. overlooked symptoms, pain being dismissed, undertreated patients). |
| Lack of diversity in healthcare | Only 5% of physicians are Black or African American and less than 6% of physicians are Hispanic in the US, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. In comparison, 56% of physicians are white. |
| Underlying chronic conditions | According to an article published by the National Library of Medicine, Black women are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the US. |
How organizations are coming together to help
Several area organizations are coming together to ensure all births are equal in the Roanoke Valley.
In late July, Birth in Color, a Richmond-based nonprofit co-founded by Sutton-El in 2018, launched a fourth location in Roanoke, after expanding to Lynchburg and Hampton Roads in 2021.
As Birth in Color was setting up in Roanoke, Birth Equity Action & Research to Transform Health (BEARTH) Village reached out to them, saying they wanted to join forces.
BEARTH Village, founded by Virginia Tech Public Health professor Natalie Cook, is a community-based participatory research and evaluation project involving families, doulas, healthcare professionals and several others.
In partnership with Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP), BEARTH Village uses empirical evidence and cultural wisdom to work toward dismantling birth inequities in the health care system.
Now, the organization is working with Birth in Color Roanoke as well to bring free doula care to the Roanoke Valley.
Cook says evidence shows having a doula can truly make a difference.
“Just having a doula around can reduce labor time, reduce the use of pain medicine [and] can lead to lower rates of Cesarean section,” Cook said. “And findings have shown that having a culturally congruent doula, which means a doula who looks like the person who’s giving birth, can help even more so.”
She went on to add, “A doula can also serve as an intermediary and speak up on behalf of a person who’s giving birth and so that’s another strength, just having another person in the room who’s kind of an ally or an advocate for that person does wonders.”
Birth in Color’s overall success throughout the Commonwealth mirrors this notion.
In total, the nonprofit has nearly 80 doulas who help about 350 women give birth each year, according to Sutton-El.
The fervent reproductive rights advocate says progress has been made, with an improved birthing experience, a lowered C-section rate and no maternal mortalities to date.
She hopes to bring that success right here to the Star City, and says in the first year, they expect to train 10 doulas and serve 48 women in the Roanoke Valley.
Birth in Color Roanoke will also offer culturally responsive parenting classes, including a workshop for fathers.
At this time, challenges the project may face include being able to attract a critical mass of doulas of color as well as ensuring they don’t experience burnout.
Additionally, while the U.S. maternal mortality crisis is disproportionately affecting Black families, Cook stressed that no one should feel as if they’re being left out.
“I don’t think people realize that in the United States in general we have a maternal mortality crisis. It’s heightened for Black women, but White women as well in the United States have worse outcomes than our counterparts in other industrialized nations. So if we’re able to improve birth outcomes for Black people, then we’ll all benefit.”
Ultimately though, the organizations look forward to changing the narrative of Black maternal health, something Sutton-El will never stop fighting for.
“You’re never gonna be able to convince me not to advocate for women of color specifically because that’s what I was put on earth to do, to advocate for them, to hold space for them and to make sure that they’re properly educated to make their own decisions,” Sutton-El said.
If you’re interested in becoming a doula or receiving doula service, visit the Birth in Color Roanoke website.
This story is part of a program at WSLS 10, “Solutionaries.” Solutions offer hope and that’s the belief of Solutionaries, a show from our parent company, Graham Media Group, focusing on those who are taking on some of our biggest challenges. Each episode focuses on effective responses to problems and offers viewers ways they can join the effort for positive change.
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