What is Maternal Mortality?
Maternal Mortality continues to rise
What is maternal mortality?
According to CDC’s website, it is the death of a woman during pregnancy, at delivery or soon after delivery. It is a tragedy for her family, society as a whole and I’ll like to add to most importantly to her and her child; these mothers and their children will never have the beautiful memories that many mothers like myself are able to experience and share each day.
My first experience of maternal mortality was when I worked as a Child Protective Specialist with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). I was aware of during my childhood when I used to watch shows similar to Little House on the Prairie, which showed some mothers dying during childbirth. However, this was a personal experience.
My client, an Ecuardorian woman, wife and mother of a sweet toddler boy entered my life in 2008; I never knew how much of an impact that she would leave in my life even to this day. She was depressed and pregnant with twin girls when she reported to the Queens Field Office after her case was reported to the State. During an investigation, I had to visit the children and their families twice a month to assess safety concerns, but due to her case, I saw her on a weekly basis because she got sick towards the end of the investigation. If she didn’t come to the field office, I went to her home to see her when her supportive husband was out working to provide for his family.
Shortly before the case was about to be closed and transferred for supportive services, I was able to put homemaking services in place to give her additional support and planned to refer her son for daycare services, so that he could continue to meet his developmental milestones; it would give her support as she prepared to give birth. One day, I planned to visit another family, but felt the need to first do an unannounced visit to see her as both cases were in the same neighborhood to let her know that I planned to call her regarding the day care services. My gut kept telling me to go and I’m so glad that I did. I used a telephonic interpreter to speak with her while I was at her home. I checked to make sure that they had food and that everything was okay. Never did I expect to hear such sad news the following day.
The hospital contact that she visited often called me at the field office and asked me if I was sitting down. I knew that I wasn’t going to get good news because we never do when someone says that. I held the phone to my ear and my heart dropped when I heard that she died. She had an emergency C-section and died from a bilateral pulmonary embolism while in recovery. Her babies were healthy and were alone in the hospital without their beautiful young mother who died at 25 years young.
What would become of her little boy who knew his mother for the last two years of his life? What would become of her husband who loved his wife and worked so hard to make sure that she didn’t have to? What will become of her daughters who will never experience their mother’s unconditional love? What was she thinking as her life slowly drifted away? What will become?
Early the following week, I visited the family and had to experience such heartbreaking sadness. Her newborn babies were resting in their cribs while their father spoke to family members. I thought about her son who would never develop a relationship like I have with my son. Her precious baby girls who would never know their mother, would only have her pictures to look at, and hear their father’s stories about what a beautiful person she was inside and out. It wasn’t fair that this mother who was cooperative throughout her investigation and such a wonderful mother and wife isn’t here today.
Unfortunately, all across the world there are millions of families that share this story.
As technology continues to advance by the day, this is a problem that continues to grow. Again, I ask the same question, what will become of these babies/children whose mama bears risked their lives in most cases so that they can live?
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