It shouldn’t be a secret that mothers begin to question everything once they come to terms with being pregnant. Our lives are no longer just about us – literally! Our physical bodies are growing another human being. So it is safe to say that finding the best healthcare we can possibly find becomes a priority for expecting mothers — no matter which number pregnancy it is.
When I first moved to Texas, I made it a point to find a Black provider knowing my past experience with not being understood by previous medical professionals. When I wanted to talk about my heavy and painful periods, I was quickly thrown on birth control, and when I had skin concerns, I was dismissed until I kept pestering the physician for a referral. I knew that my health was solely my responsibility but thought there had to be a better way to relate to my medical providers. I am not a doctor – and I wanted to be able to trust that what I was being told was coming from someone who also had my best interest in mind.
Unfortunately, for Black mothers, this has been a constant struggle
Many factors come into play when black mothers begin to look for prenatal care. Research has confirmed that poor patient-provider interaction among racial and ethnic minorities is associated with disparities in healthcare. The CDC completed a study between 2007-2016 and found that public health practitioners can play a major role in lessening the pregnancy-related deaths and health disparities. Women with positive patient-provider communication had an overwhelmingly greater effect on trust in a provider and prenatal care satisfaction.
Oftentimes, the quickest way to build trust is to find commonalities and a familiar face — a Black provider, nurse, technician, or advocate — will go a long way. When an expecting mom has questions about her pregnancy or health and the other person can easily understand their historical and cultural influences as well as their family structure, the medical provider’s level of understanding is deeper more quickly.
There's a culture-specific knowledge that saves valuable time
Doctors who come from a similar background can often get to the root of the issues more quickly when there is no need to explain the fears of the specific maternal-related health issues that are more common in Black women. Explaining medical concerns or terms becomes easy when the explanations can be done in terms that Black women are familiar with.
During my second pregnancy there were some test results that came back in the “abnormal” category. Knowing my health history and the predisposition for Black women to have high blood pressure and other concerns, my Black OB-GYN jumped into action immediately.
I didn't have to explain that some of the typical medical interventions weren't safe for Black women
I didn’t have to relay my concern that I didn’t fully understand what the issue even was to start out with – she explained everything to me using terminology usually found when talking about natural hair, and I immediately understood. This time that we didn’t waste allowed me to deliver a healthy baby boy that night.
A typical pregnancy is supervised by an OB-GYN, but the possibilities of managing a pregnancy are varied. An expecting mother has the opportunity to work with a midwife, a doula, labor and delivery nurses, anesthesiologist, and pediatrician. While you may not be able to hand select each member of your team, one of your provider’s or support persons could allow you to introduce some support from a person you fully trust and can communicate with easily.
You don't have to find your support team alone
Coordination can be done through the health facility, patient, health care provider, and system liaisons to help commingle all the necessary providers. If you’re having trouble finding qualified professionals who meet your expectations, community health workers are tasked to be a liaison between the community and physicians to make sure people can understand and communicate with their doctor.
And finding a Black physician to be on your team doesn’t have to stop with pregnancy. Finding trusting providers for dermatology, mental health, dentistry, family care, and more could be great spots to fill with quality level providers. Your health is your responsibility and using whatever means you need to find providers that you trust is the way to go.
