Black Maternal Health: A Legacy and a Future

By WeNews Staff

Monday, August 18, 2008

(WOMENSENEWS)--The logo for this series is meant to represent a key idea: Maternal health is all about embracing the mother.

But in the United States, African American women confront striking statistics as they form partnerships, become parents and care for their children.

African American women are three-to-six times more likely to die during pregnancy and the six weeks after delivery than U.S. white and Latina women. That holds true across various levels of income and education. In fact, some studies find middle-income and highly educated African American women at higher risk.

Black Maternal Health Series
	Lawmakers Join Push to Close Maternal Health Gaps Run Date: February 20, 2009
	Industry, Feds Entice Black Mothers to Bottle Feed Run Date: November 16, 2008
	Dr. Phillips' Baby Friendly Initiative
	Harlem Hospital Becomes Baby Friendly for Breast Feeding
	Midwives Fight AMA to Provide Black Maternal Care Run Date: Sept. 29, 2008
	U.S. Maternal Hazards Tied to Social Stress Run Date: June 29, 2008

	Breastfeeding Not for You? Sisters, Listen Up Run Date: July 24, 2008
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3682
	Efforts Mount to Improve Black Breastfeeding Rates Run Date: August 2, 2008
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3673
	Pregnant? Your Job Is To Take Care of Yourself Run Date: May 08, 2009
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=4004
	Black Fathers Opening Up About All That Love Run Date: June 12, 2009
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=4040
	Maternity Center Showcases Full-Service Approach Run Date: June 5, 2009
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/4001/

Black women form 12 percent of the United States' female population but represent nearly half of maternal mortalities.

Compared to any other group of women, black women are least likely to breastfeed a child exclusively at six months, a government target for promoting healthier children. Consistent nursing also reduces a woman's risk of breast and ovarian cancers--protection especially important to African American women who are more vulnerable for these types of cancers.

How to explain these pregnancy experiences? The stress of living with racism--from workplace discrimination to maltreatment in maternity wards--is now a leading hypothesis.

Women's eNews intends to cover this story over a period of years as we use the art and science of journalism to document and explore many complex and interlocking elements. Tradition, history, personal experience, institutional bias, corporate interests and health insurance procedures will all be examined. With hope, our work will contribute to a society where more expectant mothers can experience the joy of giving birth to a healthy infant.

Women's eNews thanks the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for proving the support for this series.

For More Information

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation

http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?LanguageID=0

Note: Women's eNews is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites and the contents of Web pages we link to may change without notice.

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Black Maternal Health: A Legacy and a Future

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