Birthing women in Arkansas are in crisis, and black and brown women in Arkansas are stepping up to save the lives of their sisters.
Nicolle Fletcher is first a wife and mother, but she is also the Executive Director of the Conway-based Ujima Maternity Network. Nicolle has spent more than 15 years of her life doing birth work as a doula, childbirth educator, and lactation consultant and is training now to be a licensed midwife. Fletcher is a force and one of the leaders of a collective of Black and Brown doulas and midwives engaged for the sole purpose of saving the lives of women of color in Arkansas.
According to 2021 data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this a growing nationwide problem with there being 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The numbers for Black and Brown women around the country are even worse. The same report shows that In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.
That’s more than 2.6 times the rate for non-Hispanic White women.
In Arkansas, the numbers are even more dire.
A 2022 report by the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee shows that among Arkansas mothers there were 74 Pregnancy-Associated Deaths Per 100,000 Live Births (from 2018-2019).
And in Arkansas, Black women are 2.2 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
For Fletcher, the alarming statistics on the deaths of Black women in Arkansas were a call to action.
“Before I even felt that the intensity of that, I was like, why are there only like 2 black doulas in the state or three black doulas in the state like actually working?” Fletcher continues, I often say, if not me, then who? Right? So in this, I see it. And now I’m responsible to be a part of the solution.”
The birth professional says that being part of the solution means being an advocate and filling the gaps sometimes left by the medical community at large.
The Arkansas Mortality Review Committee did a review of maternal mortality, that happened I believe it was like a three-to-five-year span that they did research. They found that 92% of the mortalities the maternal mortality study were preventable, said Fletcher.
In another breath she says, “There’s hope, because if 92 % were preventable, that means there is work that could be done. There was a hole there and we can start filling in those gaps. So the next woman, the next mother, the next family of generations to come, don’t have to be a part of that 92% of preventable morality.”
That’s where Nicolle and the Ujima Maternity Network come in, stepping up to aid in ending the crisis. The organization provides connections to doulas who come alongside doctors and parents to provide non-medical emotional, physical, and informational support as well as staunch advocacy for the mom during preconception, pregnancy, labor, and postpartum life.
And if a mom wants someone other than a doctor to provide maternal healthcare Ujima can link moms with licensed midwives to assist in delivery especially in places around the state with barriers to health care.
Fletcher explains, You know, we’re trying to, like, reach into the communities where we’re dealing with maternal healthcare deserts, right? So where there’s a lack of access to quality maternal health care, either low or no access. There’s no hospital establishment that does obstetrics, no OB hospitals. So that would be considered an area that’s a maternity health care desert.
Fletcher says according to her knowledge about 50% of the state is experiencing a lack of maternal care because so much of the state population is spread out in vast rural areas. Ujima hopes to train midwives and doulas who will live in those communities so they can be maternal health first responders.
But in the meantime, they are building those communities themselves and inviting women in to receive care.
Just like you would pay a hospital-based physician for maternal care Ujima provides maternal health care for a fee. But the organization says they pride themselves on a payment model that makes health care centered on patient survival and well-being affordable for anyone- in addition to scholarships that cover some costs.
“We have done scholarships to complement or cut out some of the additional costs, if that makes sense to care,” says Fletcher. We don’t 100% scholarship, part of that is because we want you to invest and prioritize it (maternal health care). I think a lot of times when people are like this is free… then you act like it’s free.
But regardless if a woman or family chooses to invest in birth support with Ujima Maternity Network, Fletcher says she wants them to know one thing.
“I want every mom to know that is looking at having a baby, or someone trying to decide if having a baby is even right for her to know is that you’re valuable and you are not replaceable. There is no one on this earth in this world that can replace you and the impact and the value that you hold in this world so you matter. You matter to Ujima.”
If you’re an expectant mom, you can learn more about the Ujima Maternity Network here.
If you want to see the impact of their work up close their next Maternal Care Community Outreach is in Pine Bluff on October 14, 2023. Expecting families can expect visits with local midwives (apprentice midwives), doulas, and lactation counselors for their upcoming birth and postpartum needs. The event is free, but advanced registration is required to reserve your spot.
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