SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Dr. Meredith McMullen, an OB-GYN at for Kaiser Permanente San Diego, has a close connection to Black maternal health.
"This is Carolina Aurora," she says. "We love to call her Cora for short."
McMullen herself is a Black mother; she gave birth to her third child five weeks ago.
"She's my little bundle of joy; she's my miracle baby," she says.
Although McMullen has more knowledge than most about the topic, it doesn't shield her from the greater risks Black women face during pregnancy and delivery.
"Turns out, I was diagnosed with preterm labor at 28 weeks," she says. "It was just... really scary."
Black infants in San Diego are nearly 60% more likely to be born premature compared to white infants.
Black mothers are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy and delivery, according to the CDC.
McMullen says the reasons why are a complicated answer, but it involves a combination of medical and societal factors.
"For example, a lot of my patients may come in with preexisting conditions, like having high blood pressure or diabetes," she says.
But medical conditions, McMullen says, can be worked on to lower the risk of complications.
It's the societal stressors, like the lack of support or implicit bias in healthcare, that are harder to overcome.
"This is not just an African American issue; this is a community issue," says Rhonda Freeman, San Diego County's branch chief for maternal, child and family health services.
Freeman oversees the county's Black infant health program. For more than three decades, the program has provided healthy meals, transportation to appointments and group sessions for Black families.
"We talk about health issues. We talk about the birthing process. They're actually linked with a public health nurse," says Freeman.
Another resource for women of color is the Southeast San Diego Breastfeeding Clinic in Lemon Grove. It helps new mothers with regular tasks, like bottle feeding and pumping.
"Plus, Black women are more likely to return to work sooner, which is why it's important to help. with pumping," says Charda Bell, the owner of Melanin and Milk.
Charda Bell is a board-certified lactation consultant. She says the Black community has the lowest breastfeeding rates compared to any other race.
"That's not due to a lack of education," she explains. "But it's rather due to the fact that we don't know that eh support and the resources are there for us."
Along with helping mothers breastfeed, Bell says she wanted to create a safe space to support families of color.
"Just needing another mother to hear them out and know they're going through similar things. That often helps for them to get through the whole life of parenting," she says.
McMullen says it's important to create a welcoming physician-patient relationship as well. She says Black women make up less than 3% of the physician workforce in the U.S., so diversity, equity and inclusion training is important.
"Knowing that our patients of color might come in with a higher incidence of something like fibroids — this is something where we need to ask the right questions," she says.
She says women should also listen to their bodies and stay on top of their appointments, especially if they're a first-time mom.
Ultimately, McMullen says Black women need to advocate for themselves, so they feel heard and their expereince is validated.
"When you walk into that office, you feel like the person sitting across from you has your best interest at heart and is able to speak to the issues that are relevant to you," she says.
