Black Maternal Health Week: How One OB-GYN’s Own Birth Inspired Her to Become an Advocate for Black Mothers

Over 30 years ago, a young Afro-Jamaican woman who was eight months pregnant walked into a Brooklyn hospital complaining of vomiting and a severe headache. She was examined briefly by the doctors and subsequently discharged. As the woman was being discharged, a triage nurse checked her vitals. The nurse was alarmed at the woman’s high blood pressure reading, and at that very moment, the woman lost consciousness and collapsed. That young woman was my pregnant mother, and she was having an eclamptic seizure, a life-threatening obstetrical emergency. She was rushed to the operating room, and an emergency c-section was performed, which not only saved her life but mine as well. Throughout my life, this story has been relayed countless times. However, I remain in awe of my mother and am eternally grateful for the doctors and nurses that night. Dr. Brooks-Gordon and family. Image: courtesy Gordon family. My mother’s traumatic birth experience resonated with me and was a major factor in my desire to become a doctor. During my Obstetrics and Gynecology rotation as a medical student in the Midwest, I always felt connected to the women I encountered, especially young Black women. As a physician working in various clinics...