Browsing by Subject "maternal mortality"
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Item Black Mothers Matter: Evaluating Racial Disparities And Advancing Maternal Justice In Texas And The United States(2017) Zhang, Michelle; Aiken, Abigail R. A.African American women experience a disproportionate burden of severe maternal mortality cases in the United States, an issue that is particularly magnified in the state of Texas. However, maternal mortality makes up only a small percentage of severe morbidity cases, in which women experience potentially life-threatening complications during pregnancy or delivery.Examining cases of both severe morbidity and mortality could paint a clearer picture of maternal health in Texas that additionally takes into consideration a woman’s health before and after her pregnancy, as well as the sociodemographic context within which the pregnancy takes place, thus providing a better explanation for why Black women suffer from such poor maternal outcomes. My thesis reviews the current literature on adverse obstetric outcomes as they vary by race/ethnicity, considers the behavioral, social, environmental and access determinants within the context of race, and examines the extent to which public policy directly or indirectly affects maternal health within certain populations. Furthermore, while questions of access at the broader policylevel have been discussed extensively, relatively little attention has been devoted towards the value of community-based resources and local, nongovernmental initiatives in improving maternal health outcomes. Thus, another component of my thesis involves in-depth interviews with Austin-area health providers such as OB/GYNs, midwives, and nurse practitioners, pinpointing trends that could explain racial differences in maternal outcomes as well as best practices at the provider and policy levels that can work to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity.Item Reclaiming Our Power: Black Women Resisting Medicalized Birthing(2019-05) Okafor, Odera; Smith, ChristenThis project explores Black women’s reclamation of power, autonomy, and consent outside of the medical system during and after pregnancy. Through the use of midwives and doulas, Black women throughout the United States have started to return to traditional methods of birthing as a result of the rising U.S. maternal mortality rate, and the increasing racial disparity in birth outcomes. Reclaiming power, autonomy, and consent, are important factors in dismantling the systemic and historic racism ingrained within the modern U.S. medical system. This project examines the historical medicalization of birth as an entryway point for this discussion. Starting with a discussion of U.S. slavery and moving into the present, this project investigates the history of gynecology and the rise and fall of midwifery in the United States. As part of my investigation, I conducted interviews with midwives and doulas in the Texas area about the new rise of midwifery. Ultimately, the main objectives of this project are: 1) Analyze the medicalization of birthing in the United States 2); Explore how midwives and doulas empower Black women through birth work and the midwifery model of care; and 3) Address the importance of patient power, autonomy, and consent within and outside of the medical system.