Ensuring Black Moms Thrive from Bump to Beyond
BPPN program moms Dora and Jessica, LuAnne Brown, RN- BPPN CEO, Jayne Wilson- Melinated Moms, Dr. Pamela Reed- UB, Felicia M. Stanley, LMHC - Mate Masie Holistic Counseling and Healing, Yvonne T. DuBois, LMSW, MBA Child and Family Services of Erie County, and Kathy Jamil- United Way
Community partners including Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network (BPPN), Child & Family Services, Horizon Health Services, John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, Mate Masie Holistic Counseling, March of Dimes, Melinated Moms, Mental Health Association, No Wound Untreated Inc., UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, & United Way of Buffalo and Erie County gathered to honor Black Maternal Awareness Week April 11- 18th – Ensuring Moms Thrive from Bump to Beyond. The mission is to raise awareness of maternal health issues with a focus on the mental health crisis affecting Black women during pregnancy, childbirth, and after.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental health conditions (such as depression, anxiety, death by suicide, and substance use disorders) are the leading cause of maternal mortality. Perinatal mood disorders are one of the leading complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Racial disparities are well documented in the diagnosis and treatment of maternal mental health issues. Perinatal mood disorders can affect any woman, yet Black women often face stress and health disadvantages that increase their likelihood. The stark reality is:
1 in 5 new moms experience a maternal mental health condition.
However, 40% of Black women experience maternal mental health symptoms – nearly twice the rate of all women.
Only 20% of women are screened and up to half of women do not receive support or treatment.
Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias. Social determinants of health prevent many people from racial and ethnic minority groups from having fair opportunities for economic, physical, and emotional health. Source Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2023): https://www.nnlm.gov/ guides/blackmaternalhealth.
Differences can be observed in how common depressive symptoms are right after giving birth. One study found that Black women were two times more likely to report suicidal ideation in the immediate postpartum period, in comparison to their White counterparts in the study. Identifying suicidal ideation through screening and supporting mothers and birthing people for suicidal ideation in the immediate postpartum period can potentially reduce maternal deaths. In the United States, 29–44% of Black women experience postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS), yet few are properly identified and/or connected to mental care services.
Source: NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9862142/ #B1-jcm-12-00647
“There are promising actions underway in our community, but more is needed. As a community, we must address the disparities Black women face and call on healthcare providers to increase access to screening, support, and treatment for mental health conditions. We can do better for Black moms who need our support for chronic maternal stress and maternal mental health conditions,” stated LuAnne Brown, RN, CEO of Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network (BPPN).
Program interventions and services found in WNY such as home based/community-based prenatal/perinatal programs, pregnant/ mom support groups, doulas, and Baby Cafés provide support for pregnant women and moms and can identify needs for mental health interventions and encourage these women to seek the care they need and deserve.
If you are pregnant or a mom and you are not feeling like yourself talk about it. Don’t wait, call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for help at 1-833-852-6262.
Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network (BPPN) empowers women, fathers, and families to take charge of bettering their family health and well-being by providing education, support, advocacy, and connection to resources and services in WNY. The work of Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network is dedicated to honoring the dignity and capacity of individuals and communities and in promoting health equity. www.bppn.org.