Obria Smith was a native of Atlanta, born and raised in Southwest Atlanta. She was a dancer at heart from a young girl. I remember dancing in our aunt’s living room with our new dance routines, giggling at inside jokes, occasionally wearing matching holiday vests or sweaters for the holidays, and admiring the style and swag of our older cousins. She attended Savannah Technical College, had a loving, large family, friends who became family, and a supportive, loving boyfriend. They found out they were expecting a baby. Excited and eager to bring a new life into the world. She was young, in good health, full of life, creativity, and determined to live the life she wanted for herself. She was 31 years old. Last year, her family and friends laid her and her baby to rest. She passed away from complications of eclampsia, a condition that is running rampant among African American women. Sadly, her story is not out of the ordinary.
Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia are types of high blood pressure that some women get during pregnancy. Similar to gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia can occur in mothers who previously may have had normal blood pressure and develop high blood pressure around 20 weeks pregnant. It can lead to swelling , protein in urine, and kidney and liver issues, as well as preterm birth. It can become severe enough to become eclampsia, which is a serious health condition that can lead to seizure, affect brain function, or coma.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), “ the cases or pre-eclampsia incidents rose 25% between 1987 and 2004 in the US. Through the rise, the gap between white American and African American women was extensive, and the gap continues to widen. Pre-eclampsia affects around 2-5% of pregnant women, yet pre-eclampsia among Black women is 60% higher than that of white women (Pre-eclampsia Foundation, 2020). Black women are twice as likely to have pregnancy-related deaths as non-Hispanic white women. Black women can be educated, informed, take the necessary precautions, and still continue to be at a higher risk for this condition during pregnancy.
Preexisting chronic disease, obesity, and high blood pressure are risk factors that black women have higher rates of living with. Of course, medically this makes sense, but for those black women in general good health, it is still happening to them. How is this continuing to affect women who defeat all the socioeconomic structures that typically lead to these health disparities or outcomes? Those who have insurance, access to care, attend prenatal appointments regularly, have support systems, education, good health, present fathers, homes, and decent employment. Regardless,what is happening to expecting black women?
Alicia Butler is a trained doula who focuses on bringing prenatal support specifically to women of color. She states, “As a birth worker and policy expert, I thought knowledge would protect me. I was wrong. Pre-eclampsia, the ‘silent killer,’ almost took the life of my baby and me, forcing me to deliver at just 25 weeks. In a country that markets itself as having some of the best healthcare in the world, maternal outcomes often fall short of that claim. Especially for Black women, who are 60% more likely to be affected.”
“The only treatment for this condition is delivery. We must act with real urgency to protect the lives of moms and babies.” – Alicia Butler.
As a trained doula and breastfeeding coach, the number of cases of maternal death I personally hear is alarming. This opens the doors to a larger community issue and potential possible solutions for research, support for black women and families who are expecting. This is a conversation that has just begun.