BUFFALO, N.Y. — For Valerie Cruz Jaime, her first pregnancy with her daughter Daviana was a breeze.

“When I had her I was 29 years old" she said. “I didn’t have any complications. Everything was great.”

But it was during that pregnancy that she learned she has a high risk for gestational diabetes — something that can lead to high blood pressure if left untreated.

“I have the best of both worlds. My mom’s family has hypertension and my dad’s family has diabetes,” she said. “So I’m predisposed to both of them.”

What You Need To Know

  • More than 20% of women in the U.S. from ages 18 to 39 may have high blood pressure without even knowing it. 

  • For pregnant women, high blood pressure known as preeclampsia can be life-threatening if left untreated. 

  • The New York State Department of Health has statistically shown that Black and brown birthing people are higher risk for infant mortality, maternal mortality, preeclampsia, high blood pressure, hypertension and gestational diabetes.

Now pregnant with twins, she has to work harder to keep her gestational diabetes in tow.

“It’s a little bit frustrating because I was doing so good after I had my baby,” she said. “I went back to normal.”

Latina women are more at risk for gestational diabetes, but they are not the only ones at risk.

“The New York State Department of Health has statistically shown us that Black and brown birthing people are higher risk for infant mortality, maternal mortality, preeclampsia, high blood pressure, hypertension, gestational diabetes,” said Mykia Gibson, community health worker coordinator for the Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network. 

For Cruz Jaime, working through her language and cultural barriers with medical professionals during her first pregnancy was intimidating.

“They told me that I have to watch what I eat but they don’t explain,” she said. “And culturally, we eat different. And I can speak for myself because when they gave me the, ‘here you go, the foods that you can eat.’ I’m like, ‘where’s the rice?’”

Which is where organizations like the Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network try to help pregnant women.

“We are not medical professionals but we are here to educate you on the facts,” said Gibson. “We know that if we have a healthy mom, we have a healthy baby.”

Now, Cruz Jaime checks her blood pressure at least twice a day and has a better understanding of what conversations to have with her doctor.

“I feel more comfortable speaking for myself now,” Cruz Jaime said. “Nobody is exempt. And since I already have one risk factor, I just want to make sure the other one doesn’t creep in.”