Alva Review-Courier -

“You never know when you need to look like you have a little bit of sense and a little bit of money.”

Those were the words of Charles Johnson IV as he accompanied his wife to the hospital as she prepared to give birth to their second son. He would leave the hospital without her – another mortality statistic in the staggeringly high number of maternal deaths in this country.

According to William Callaghan of the CDC, the definition of a pregnancy-related death is when a woman dies while pregnant or within one year of the end of her pregnancy. According to National Geographic magazine, all women are vulnerable to the same pregnancy-related health conditions, which include excessive bleeding, dangerously high blood pressure and infection. Gestational diabetes and stroke can also be by-products of the condition.

Toxic stress that erodes the physical health of minority mothers is known as “weathering.” That may explain why even black mothers with the highest levels of education are dying at higher rates than white women with the least education.

Such was the case of Kira Johnson, whose last words to Charles were “Baby, I’m scared.”

It helps to have an advocate on hand when under medical care. Lack of communication is a big factor especially when the patient doesn’t recognize urgency or when they aren’t listened to.

Prenatal care may be limited for those without insurance, but in the wealthiest nation in the world, we mustn’t let maternal deaths become an accepted fact of life.