South Georgia advocates battle Black maternal health crisis

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Pregnancies are supposed to be the happiest time for a mother, especially when it’s time to finally give birth. But for Black mothers in South Georgia, it can be the scariest time as they face a greater chance of dying or losing their baby due to limited resources. “It’s really sad. We’re still seeing cases of women, like numerous cases of women not only dying in childbirth but the women that are still here telling the stories of near misses in their pregnancy and their deliveries,” said Sherrell Byrd, executive director of SOWEGA Rising. These complications are due to several factors, the biggest one being OBGYN deserts. A map from the OBYN Society shows several closures of labor and delivery units throughout Georgia in 2020. What it doesn’t show is the newest closures that have multiplied in the past year. “If you’re in a dire situation and you still have to travel an hour, an hour and a half, that still makes a difference on whether you can survive,” said Dr. Natalie Hernandez-Green, executive director of the Center for Maternal Health Equity. A program that certifies doulas in South Georgia is trying to prevent more pregnancy...