Minority Health Month: Key Factors for Safe, Healthy Pregnancy Experiences for Minority Women

Infant and maternal mortality. Racial biases. Patient mistrust. All are challenges facing minority women as they embark on their journey into motherhood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 700 women die during pregnancy each year. Another 50,000 women have unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery resulting in short-or long-term health consequences.

Recent studies have shown that Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. The preterm birth rate among Black women is 56% higher in Florida and 12% higher in Duval County among all other women. Factors like underlying chronic conditions, racism, implicit bias within the medical community, and reduced access to quality health care contribute to this outcome. UF Health Jacksonville is committed to reducing maternal mortality among minority women.

LaRae C. Brown, MD, FACOG, medical director at UF Health Women's Specialists – North specializes in obstetrics and gynecology. Brown highlights the organization's steps to ensure the best possible outcomes for minority women in pregnancy and delivery.

"Our organization has taken a comprehensive approach to this issue by working closely with I.D.E.A. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access)," Brown said, who also serves on the group's executive board. "Formalized training on diversity, equity and inclusion is imperative, as it brings knowledge and awareness to some of the issues minority women face in their fertility, labor and delivery, and pregnancy journey. It also provides robust clinical leadership and review of these outcomes, and also maintains a constant improvement process to combat the trend."

Self-Advocacy and Improving Minority Maternal Health

Self-advocacy is more prominent than ever for Black women regarding adequate health care during their pregnancy journey. Take professional tennis player Serena Williams for example. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, the 23-time Grand Slam Singles title winner is one of the most recognizable athletes of our time, both on and off the court.

But in January 2018, Williams shared her birthing experience with Vogue magazine four months after giving birth to her first child, a daughter named Alexis. Like thousands of Black mothers in the United States, Williams's pregnancy was traumatic and high-risk, leading her to be her advocate to save her own life after her delivery.

"Serena's story explicitly underlies some of the challenges minority women face," Brown said. "Serena is famous. She's rich. Yet, she is a minority woman with predisposing health conditions, and still, with all of her positives, felt like her voice was not being heard."

Black women must know how to advocate for themselves before, during, and after childbirth. But how? An article published on the health and wellness website, VeryWell Family.com, suggests that women should inquire and ask questions about their treatment and care, get a second opinion if curious about alternative options, and maintain a sound support system.

Board-certified physicians and trained staff members at UF Health Women’s Specialists – North conducts safety checks that helps bolster relationships between patients and their providers. Brown says she encourages her patients to speak up—if something doesn't seem right, say something. Bring up your concerns to your provider right away.

"Building trust between the patient and the provider is paramount. As much as the physician can give the patient time and information, the patient is also responsible for returning that information to the provider. It's a healthy and productive balance of both perspectives."

Education and Resources Essential to Minority Maternity

UF Health Jacksonville offers high-level expertise, education, programs and resources for minority patients designed to improve access to quality health care and pregnancy outcomes. "The strengths in our organization include having a robust, high-risk labor and delivery division, maternal and fetal medicine department, and a diverse workforce of providers, nurses and staff that our patients interact with," Brown said.

Little Miracles, Healthy Start and the Nurse-Family Partnership are community and evidence-based programs to increase prenatal and infant care in Jacksonville and throughout the First Coast. Little Miracles provides pregnancy tests, prenatal and infant care assistance, and maternity and childbirth education. Healthy Start is a nurse-led, prenatal case management program for high-risk women, which provides childbirth, breastfeeding, parenting classes and assistance through Medicare enrollment. The Nurse-Family Partnership program provides nurse-led prenatal case management, infant health, and home visitation from birth to two years.

"The safety net of our organization and its reach into community programs and assistance is a strength of being associated with an extensive university system," Brown said. "From a medical standpoint, patients can access many specialists within the same hospital system, which is a plus. We also have access to expert-level medical care, and new and upcoming technologies available throughout our various locations."

"I'm proud of our organization, specifically our labor and delivery department at UF Health North, with its allegiance to maintaining the quality of care for all patients. We recognize problems early. We listen to our patients. Minority women will have a safe and healthy experience as possible under our care."

Reference list: Vogue. (2018). Serena Williams on Motherhood, Marriage, and Making Her Comeback. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/serena-williams-vogue-cover-interview-february-2018

VeryWell Family. (2022). What Black Parents Need to Know About Self-Advocacy During Childbirth. Retrieved from https://verywellfamily.com/advocating-for-yourself-during-pregnancy-as-a-black-parent-6836309