Pittsburgh Doulas Address Maternal Health Crisis During COVID-19

 

The pandemic resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak has intensified concerns about the existing maternal health crisis in the United States and in Allegheny County, where Black women are more than four times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes and twice as likely to have an infant death.  Amid COVID-19 restrictions, women giving birth at local hospitals are limited to 1-2 support people, and within the context of the restrictions, some women who require more intensive hospital-based prenatal care are forgoing monitoring that requires in-person visits.

 

“This is an opportunity to step up and be very vocal and visible in saying that, while we understand and wholeheartedly support the need for safety precautions, no woman should spend her pregnancy preoccupied with fear about not being supported in the way that she deems necessary while giving birth,” said Jada Shirriel, chief executive officer of Healthy Start, Inc.

 

Doulas provide physical, emotional and informational support before, and during labor, delivery and postpartum. Continuous support during labor has been proven to limit the impact of inequitable treatment in maternity care settings and reduce poor health outcomes for mothers. Doula care is associated with improvements in pregnancy and birth outcomes, including lower rates of C-section and preterm birth, maternal morbidity, and increased breastfeeding initiation.  However, Black and low-income women have historically experienced barriers in accessing doula care, which is generally not covered by health plans.

 

Within the context of COVID-19, there is already early evidence of racial inequities in COVID cases in the US, and previous studies have revealed that Black individuals are less likely to be listen to or believed when seeking care, a trend which Healthy Start hypothesizes will be amplified during the pandemic.

 

“We also know that women are increasingly looking for alternatives to hospital birth – including midwife center and home birth. This is a national trend, but is not a viable option for everyone—particularly if there a cesarean is necessary or if there are serious health concerns,” says Shirriel.

 

To continue the efforts toward equitable maternal health care in Allegheny County, Healthy Start will leverage relationships among the local network of doulas in the Pittsburgh area and birth workers, community organizations and hospitals. 

 

For the safety of everyone, the project will prioritize virtual doula support for mothers, providing them with a tablet to use in the hospital throughout labor.  In the case of mothers who don’t have another support person, the need for in-person support will be considered case-by-case, and personal protective equipment will be used. Doula support will include two prenatal virtual visits, labor and delivery support, a virtual postpartum visit and phone contact as a mother needs.

 

Shirriel and Healthy Start are eager to begin connecting pregnant mothers with doula care as soon as possible to support healthy birth outcomes in spite of the ongoing pandemic.  Partnering with Healthy Start to drive this initiative are Dr. Dara Mendez of the University of Pittsburgh, Magee Women’s Hospital, the Birth Circle Doula Program, and local birthing hospitals.  Doulas joining in this effort are Ngozi Tibbs, founder of the Pittsburgh Black Breastfeeding Circle and Sankofa Childbirth Education and Lactation Services, Gerria Coffee, founder of Genesis Birth Services, Iyanna Bridges of Iyanna B. Doula Services, Brandy Gentry, founder of Oli’s Angels and Jona Reyes, an independent doula. Seeding funding has been secured through the Pittsburgh Foundation, United Way of Southwestern PA and the Allegheny County Health Department. 

 

Healthy Start, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving maternal and child health and reducing and eliminating infant mortality.  Healthy Start is rooted in the community and works to increase awareness of infant and maternal mortality, promote health literacy and equity, streamline and coordinate services between public and private agencies, and build partnerships of commitment among families, volunteers, businesses, health care and social service providers. Visit www.healthystartpittsburgh.org.

 

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