Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)–COVID-19 has changed the birth plans of pregnant women in the United States. Being black and pregnant can be scary considering the amount of black women dying at higher rates according to the most recent maternal mortality study from the Centers for Disease Control. The study found sharp disparities across racial groups, with the maternal mortality rate for Black people was 2.9 times higher than it was for white people, at 55.3 deaths per 100,000 births. However, black women can still exercise what can be controlled and put a birth plan in place.
For its second year, Ovia Health, the only clinically-backed, digital family health platform, has collaborated with the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), an organization committed to optimizing maternal and infant health in creating a birth plan series and educational content about birth workers and birth equity designed to empower members of Ovia’s Pregnancy app.
What is a birth plan? A birth plan is a plan a mother sets in place for her healthcare providers to honor under normal circumstances when it comes time to deliver her baby. Ovia and NBEC recently published their 6 reasons why a birth plan is essential:
To prepare for uncertainty: Most of us are less concerned about the unknown when we’re prepared. Writing a birth plan helps channel any anxious energy into something productive.
To get to know your provider better: Talking early and often about your childbirth and postpartum plan helps you confirm that your provider is the right fit for you.
To decide who you want with you: A birth plan can be a tactful way to have any difficult conversations before you’re in labor. Nobody wants family drama in their delivery room!
To help your partner prepare: Researching, writing, and talking about a birth plan together can help ease your partner’s worries too. The last thing you want to be worrying about in labor is your partner worrying about you.
To soak up all the information: Learn about what is and isn’t normal during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. You’ll feel more confident, power and in control.
To establish open lines of communication: The more practice you get talking about complicated health information with healthcare providers, the more your self-confidence and power will grow.
“NBEC is thrilled to continue our ongoing partnership with Ovia Health and is grateful to have a partner who understands that any effective long-term strategy for ending the Black maternal health crisis must also include engaging birth workers who possess the talent, skill, and empathy that is too often missing from the care that Black mamas and their babies receive during and immediately following labor,” said Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, Founder and President of National Birth Equity Collaborative. “NBEC is proud to uplift birth workers—including doulas and midwives—who are on the front lines of the maternal health crisis working to eradicate the harm so often inflicted on Black mamas and their babies.”
Ovia’s Pregnancy app is free, customizable, personalized, and inclusive so that the Ovia community can access the content that matters most to them:
Health summaries & statistics
Sharing & calendar syncing
Apple health & Fitbit integrations
Leading clinical research with 35+ peer-reviewed publications
Access to over 2,000 free expert articles
Access to the Ovia community to as and answer questions anonymously
Having a birth plan and working with a birth worker can improve health outcomes, which is why Ovia created this content as a source of much needed answers for expectant mothers. Every family deserves strong foundational support for their birth journeys. If you would like more information please let us know! Ovia’s health coaches Brooke Davis RN, fertility and obstetric care and Tamika Simpson, MPH, PMH-C, IBCLC are available as well as Dr. Joia Crear-Perry of NBEC
About Ovia Health
Ovia Health, has served more than 17 million family and parenthood journeys since 2012 and is on a mission to make a happy, healthy family possible for everyone. Ovia Health is the only family health solution clinically proven to effectively identify and intervene with high-risk conditions. The company’s 50+ clinical programs, including predictive coaching and personalized care plans, help prevent unnecessary health care costs, improve health outcomes, and foster a family-friendly workplace that increases retention and return-to-work. For more information, visit OviaHealth.com.
About National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC)
NBEC creates transnational solutions that optimize Black maternal, infant, and reproductive wellbeing. They shift systems and culture through training, research, technical assistance, policy, advocacy, and community-centered collaboration. For more information, visit National Birth Equity Collaborative.
