How can we help protect expectant and new mothers? We can do this by recognizing Maternal Health Awareness Day. January 23rd was created to inform everyone about the importance of maternal health, mainly focusing on the preventable deaths among moms and the disparities in access to quality healthcare.
The CDC says over 80% of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable. The leading causes are mental health and cardiac and coronary conditions. Hemorrhage is considered the second underlying cause. This doesn’t just happen when a woman is pregnant but also during postpartum.
The United States ranks 47th worldwide (when it comes to how women are taken care of). The problem is that care varies across the country, including in Florida. Those in geographically isolated communities might have limited obstetric care, access to transportation, digital connectivity, and other situations causing conflict.
- Since COVID-19, many women reported needing mental health help but feared getting treatment or didn’t have access to affordable mental health services.
- Many women are unaware of warning signs and risk factors for cardiac and coronary conditions.
- Women who make most household decisions are less likely to prioritize their medical needs.
To ignite change, there are several things that we can start:
- Educate yourself about maternal health issues and support organizations that are trying to make a change.
- Talk about maternal health, try to help break down the stigmas, and work on building a network of support for families and pregnant mothers.
We need to understand why maternal mortality occurs to reduce or eliminate it.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at nflwc.com (and log into your patient portal and submit a request for an appointment) or call 850-877-7241.
Additional Resources:
- https://www.acog.org/advocacy/policy-priorities/maternal-mortality-prevention/maternal-health-awareness-day
- Every Mother Counts: https://everymothercounts.org/
- World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/health-topics/maternal-health
- United Nations Population Fund: https://www.unfpa.org/
- March of Dimes: https://www.marchofdimes.org/
