Every time I write one of these posts, it breaks my heart, but these women’s deaths would go unnoticed without raising public awareness.
If you are interested in receiving information about the Black Ob-Gyn Directory that will drop in February 2023, please contact me at DoctorLindaOnline@gmail.com or https://www.thesmartmothersguide.com/contact/
This blog was originally written in 2011 but it still holds true today.
Some of the most endearing moments I have witnessed as an obstetrician involved observing men in the labor room. There was the Jewish dad from Brooklyn who brought his Anita Baker tape and played it while his wife was in labor. Because she was one of my favorite artists, I was constantly in their room under the guise of watching the fetal monitor, just so that I could listen to the music. Another memorable moment was the dad who cried tears of joy when his wife was returned back to her room after having a c. section. The love and admiration that beamed in his eyes almost tempted me to ask him if he had a friend (this was of course when I was single). The point is, that expectant dads can play a significant role in helping their wives or girlfriends have a healthy babies. Here’s how:
The active participation of an expectant father is priceless. In the words of an old R&B classic by the Winstons, “. . . color him father; color him love.” Happy Father’s Day.
On this Mother’s Day, I honor the soulmates of mothers who left before their time on earth based on clinical incompetence, arrogance, and, yes, that dreaded word no one wants to discuss but is ever apparent racism.
Here are some examples of why Sha-Asia Washington, Amber Rose Isaac, Kira Johnson, and Dr. Chaniece Wallace are no longer with us:
Dr. Dmitry A. Shelchkov, a foreign medical school graduate, failed to provide adequate oxygen or monitor three previous patients before finally killing Sha-Asia Washington. He did not give her oxygen when she became short of breath and placed her epidural catheter incorrectly. His mistakes had been known for years, but it took the death of a 26-year-old first-time mother before the New York Medical Board suspended his medical license.
The obstetrician who performed a 17-minute elective C-Section led to a postpartum hemorrhage and the preventable death probably of Kira Johnson. Unfortunately, he probably still has privileges at the infamous Cedar Sinai Hospital.
The ob-gyn residents and their attending physicians at Montefiore Hospital who missed Amber Rose Isaac’s dropping platelets are probably still practicing without any accountability except providing a pathetic apology that will not bring her back to life.
And then there’s the case that keeps me up at night involving my fellow physician colleague and sorority sister, Dr. Chaniece Wallace. The horrific two-hour delay of starting an intravenous line in the setting of her hypertensive crisis is chilling. Yet, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indiana purports to have given her the best care.
Yet, amid this madness, four remarkable men have turned their pain into action on behalf of their departed soulmates. Their comments and posts on social media platforms demonstrate a palpable love. They speak about their beloved in the present tense. They not only continue to love these women but remain IN love with them despite their physical absence of 6 years for Charles Spurgeon Johnson IV and two years for Anthony Wallace, Juwan Lopez, and Bruce McIntyre III.
These brothers teach us that love continues to win, even in death, and has created beautiful children that represent their legacy.
Today, I salute the soulmates of Kira, Sha-Asia, Amber, and Chaniece, who continue to teach all of us that death has no real power over love, just as it had no power over Jesus, the Christ.
May my sisters continue to rest in Power, and may their memory continue to be a blessing.
If my mother gave birth to me today instead of over 60 years ago, she would probably be dead based on her risk factors. She was Black, had gestational diabetes, and gave birth to a 9-pound 4-ounce baby girl via C-section. She would have been discharged from the hospital on post-op day four rather than post-op day seven. But, thank God, my mother, unlike her mother, lived. I never knew my grandmother because she died from postpartum cardiomyopathy at age 39, a few months after delivering my youngest aunt in 1939.
When my mother had me, there were no managed care organizations that booted women out of the hospital 48 hours after birth or 96 hours after having a C-section. Had the federal government not stepped in with the Newborn and Mother’s Health Protection Act of 1996, mothers and babies would have been sent home after 24 hours, a phenomenon sarcastically referred to as “drive-through deliveries.”
In the discussion of reasons for the ignominious U.S. maternal mortality rates, the topic of managed care organizations and private equity investors is never discussed but should be.
According to Medical Economics, the Medical Management Group Association (MMGA) reported $60 billion in “deals” involving medical practices in 2019 by private equity firms. They are one of the reasons why nurses are leaving hospitals, physicians are jumping off hospital roofs, and yes, women are dying within a week of having a baby, and the stillbirth rate has increased.
The business model is not taught in nursing, midwifery, or medical schools. As a result, we do not know how to compromise quality care and satisfy your shareholders simultaneously. Perhaps if hospital CEOs and private equity shareholders are named co-defendants in future medical malpractice cases, the maternal mortality rate will move in the opposite direction.
You profess not to know why more pregnant women are dying? Try taking a closer look at your priorities and business practices. As long as profit and revenue take precedence over human life, there is little hope for change.
A decision made by the British version of our NIH, the National Institute of Care and Excellence (NICE), sheds a flicker of light onto a very dark landscape regarding maternal mortality. They are authorizing the use of a blood test that will diagnose preeclampsia as early as 20 weeks. This decision is groundbreaking news and will change the landscape of how preeclampsia is currently diagnosed, treated, and hopefully save lives.
NICE is developing a draft of clinical guidelines and believes that African, Caribbean, and Asian women will benefit the most based on their history of adverse birth outcomes.
Here’s what you need to know in plain English about the test:
Can these tests diagnose as well as exclude preeclampsia?
Yes, according to published literature cited in the article.
Four independent labs: one in San Diego, two in Germany, and a lab in Finland
What are the benefits of using this test for pregnant women?
The tests will make it easier for healthcare providers to diagnose preeclampsia and make fewer mistakes regarding clinical management.
Are there any economic benefits of using this test?
According to NICE literature, the saving was between 26 pounds ($34.06) to 2,896 pounds ($3,793.76) per patient.
Are there any other early diagnostic tests for preeclampsia?
Yes, there is a test using different technology that measures cell-free RNA as a means of early preeclampsia detection, according to an article published by Nature.com. However, healthcare providers do not currently use this test because it has not been approved as part of clinical guidelines.
I anxiously await the use of PIGF in mainstream obstetrics. We once thought that the adverse effects of preeclampsia stopped when the baby and placenta were delivered. However, we now know that reasoning was wrong based on the number of women who died during the postpartum period. Hopefully, with the future use of this test, women will no longer be discharged from hospitals or emergency departments prematurely. Anything that decreases maternal mortality gives me a glimmer of hope.
On February 25, 2022, the FDA issued a recall regarding three powdered infant formula brands made by Abbott Nutrition associated with bacterial infections, Salmonella and Cronobacter, which have produced at least one infant death and caused severe illnesses in three.
The contaminated powdered formula was manufactured in Sturgis, Michigan, and cases were reported in Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas between September 20, 2021, and January 11, 2022, involving Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare. The FDA recommends consumers look at the lot code, a multidigit number on the bottom of a container of powdered infant formula. The involved lot numbers are:
Need more information? Please visit Abbott’s website to check lot numbers if you have purchased any of the brands mentioned earlier. Abbott has also provided a phone number, 1-800-986-8540. In addition, information regarding symptoms of bacterial infections is located on the FDA’s website.
Aside from breast milk, infant formulas are the only source of nutrition for babies and newborns; therefore, this recall is a serious issue. In the interest of public safety, please share this information with all new moms and families.
Asl always, remember knowledge is power. Share and empower.
