April 17, 2024

Building Healthy Families by Addressing Maternal Mortality

Despite access to women’s health care, former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader Krystal Anderson died in March at age 40 shortly after giving birth to her stillborn daughter. Last year, elite Olympic athlete Tori Bowie died at age 32 while in labor during the eighth month of her pregnancy. Both women were planning for healthy babies, yet both died from complications of childbirth. And both were Black.

Maternal death refers to the death of a woman during or following pregnancy and childbirth.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,205 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. in 2021. This compares with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019. The maternal mortality rate for 2021 was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 20.1 in 2019.

The national maternal mortality rate for Black women in 2021 was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births — 2.6 times the rate for white women. The maternal mortality rate for Black women in Iowa is 3 to 4 times higher than the rates for white women.

EveryStep is working to combat these rates with family support services to increase healthy pregnancies and babies. One program geared especially toward Black Iowans offers specialized doula services.

“The goal of the doula project is to decrease maternal mortality,” says EveryStep maternal child health director Becky Borgman. “We are providing training and support to help increase that doula workforce to be able to offer a doula to a Black identified individual.”

Baby Bloom, presented by EveryStep and the Community Action Network, is another way EveryStep strives to raise awareness of maternal mortality, women’s health and wellness, postpartum health and the programs and services to build healthy families. The free event at Valley West Mall in West Des Moines on April 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. provides education on how to stay healthy before, during and after pregnancy. Free iron and blood pressure checks will be offered during Baby Bloom, in addition to free lunch, swag bags, music, children’s activities and prizes. DART will be offering free rides to the event with a special QR code you can find here.

Lanette Nelson, EveryStep Healthy Start manager, says EveryStep supports and empowers pregnant individuals to speak up and find support if they have questions or concerns that are not being addressed by their health care provider. “It’s okay to say if you are not okay. It might be in the way you feel, the way you have been treated, or if you’re not being heard. If you’ve been shut down or dismissed, you don’t need to stop there. Demand to be heard or to speak to others. There are advocates out there, like case managers, doulas, patient advocates and others which can help you. Lean on them for support as you navigate a complex and sometimes intimidating health system and know that you know yourself and your body better than anyone else.” 

For information about EveryStep’s Healthy Start program and to find support for your pregnancy and family with children up to age 6, click here. To learn more about the Community Action Network and its partners, click here.

We all face hard times, but some people in our community are coping with more difficult circumstances. Pregnancy can be an especially vulnerable time. EveryStep shows up when people need us most. We offer guidance and support as Iowans turn moments of vulnerability into opportunities to live thriving lives. Your support helps us foster a flourishing community and a healthier, more equitable future.

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