GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Black family and a white family may have very different experiences from pregnancy to the birth of their children, with life-long impacts on their health.
In fact, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the state's infant mortality rate is higher than the national average.
Janai Glover has experienced birth trauma first-hand.
“I’ve had two miscarriages," Glover says. "My first one, I was only about six weeks, but my second one, I gave birth at 15 weeks gestational.”
She also has gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and preeclampsia – common health issues within the Black community that can lead to problems in birth.
Shlanda Burton made it her job to address those issues. Burton is the only Black provisionally licensed dietitian nutritionist and advanced certified birth doula, in the country. She's also the founder of the National Birth Coalition.
She says the pandemic has only highlighted these racial gaps.
“I think with COVID, it’s coming to light much more when we see the gaps in the health care system and what it's doing to a lot of pregnant women, especially Black women," Burton says.
The National Birth Coalition is currently accepting clients and working to receive funding to continue helping expecting mothers.
For more information on the organization visit its website.