WATCH | Health Matters: Postpartum Hemorrhage and the Fight for Black Maternal Health - video Dailymotion

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Kameelah Phillips, MD on ways Black parents-to-be can take charge of their care—and stay safe from a deadly but often overlooked postpartum threat.

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00:00I know sometimes when we come into labor and delivery or when the pregnancy test, you know,

00:04turns the two lines, we may feel overwhelmed and that things are stacked against us.

00:10I want people to come into this experience with life and love and joy. We are here to keep you

00:16safe. These topics that we talk about postpartum hemorrhage during Black Maternal Health Week

00:23are to empower you with knowledge, not to instill fear.

00:30Hey Essence fam, I'm Victoria Uwe Moroghi, Senior Lifestyle Editor for Essence Magazine,

00:34and we're here to talk about Black maternal health. For all the mamas out there, one of the

00:38most important things during a pregnancy is being clear about things that feel off for you and

00:43knowing that you can go to your obstetrician, have your concerns taken seriously and feel heard.

00:47But a lack of understanding from some providers during pregnancy, delivery, and even after is a

00:52huge problem for a lot of expectant moms. What things do we need to be on learn about when it

00:57comes to our bodies as expectant mothers? And how do we advocate for ourselves?

01:02So to help you get some answers, I've brought in Dr. Camila Phillips. She's a New York-based

01:06board-certified OB-GYN who is the founder of Cala Women's Health and a mother of three.

01:12Give it up for Dr. Phillips. Hello there.

01:15Hi. Hi. Thank you for having me.

01:18Thank you for taking part in this. I wanted to ask you first and foremost, Dr. Phillips,

01:23as a physician and a Black mother, how important is Black Maternal Health Week and just this effort

01:28to really save lives to you? It is the foundation of everything we try and do here. I don't take for

01:40granted one second that, yes, although I'm a Black woman and I am a mother, I am very privileged because

01:47I'm also a physician. And with that privilege, not only for myself, but for people who look like me,

01:53comes actually the responsibility to make sure that we make the birthing space inclusive, safe for all

02:01of us. And so that's why every time I have the opportunity to discuss Black maternal health,

02:07and especially this week, which really is every day, it really is a privilege because there are so

02:13many things that we can do to help keep women of color, specifically Black women, safe that

02:19we just need to keep talking about it, talking about it, talking about it, educating on all the

02:24socials, on all the news channels everywhere. And we will achieve our goal of making the birthing

02:30experience equitable for everyone in this country. So important. And I also wanted to ask you,

02:36you know, people tend to think that if you get a Black OBGYN, that's all you need. We're going to

02:41easily relate, easily, you know, you have my experience, it's going to go so well. But what

02:46really does it take for the perfect fit between a patient and a doctor during this very important

02:52time in a woman's life? Yeah, I think it's really important that we remember this is a relationship,

02:59you know, this is a relationship. And all relationships take time to engender trust and

03:07communication and honesty, transparency. So although you may have a Black physician, it still means that

03:15you have to work on that relationship. I don't want to assume that just because we're both melanated that

03:21I've had your experience or vice versa. You know, as I just mentioned, I'm a physician and I'm very

03:27knowledgeable and privileged in this space. As a news reporter, you are not. And so I want to make sure

03:34that I'm not assuming your experience and that I'm still listening to your concerns and not taking

03:39anything for granted about what is top of mind for you just because we have the same skin color.

03:46So finding someone who you can have easy conversations with, don't hesitate to express your concerns and

03:55have a honest rapport with is really paramount in finding a healthcare provider, whether she be of color

04:02or not. Yeah. Or a man as well. Yeah. Yeah. And also lastly, what are ways that we can advocate for

04:11ourselves? I know so much, so often we want to like be able to listen to our doctors and feel confident

04:16in what they're saying because they are obviously, like you said, the expert, you have knowledge and,

04:21you know, there's some things that we just don't know. But when should we be able to stand up and say,

04:26well, hey, this is something that I'm feeling and I don't want us to act like we need to bypass it.

04:31How can we best advocate for ourselves? Yeah. So I think it's important to one. I always tell

04:37patients when I walk in the room, I'm like, what are we talking about today? I encourage patients to

04:43write notes about their experience in the time that I've seen them in between visits. So

04:48listen, healthcare we know is broken. And so we only have a limited time, right, to get through some of

04:54those things. So coming to a visit prepared, knowing what it is you want to discuss. So you're

04:59sure that you hit the highlights is something that I really encourage. Taking the time and not being

05:05afraid to say, wait, wait, wait, I don't understand that. Can we back up? It's not anything to be

05:11embarrassed about. It's just, we need clarification. And in any industry, for example, when I go into the

05:17banking space, I have questions. It is okay to admit that you have questions and you need to

05:22have this explained to you in one or two different ways until it sinks in. The third thing that I would

05:29encourage people to do is if your doctor, for example, hands you a nugget of information that

05:34you might not be able to entirely process at that time and you need some more time, just make sure that

05:40you're going to vetted sources. And I would say that TikTok and Instagram and social media are not

05:46those vetted sources, even though we're watching this right now. It is really important that you go

05:51to national societies and look at what the current recommendations are, and then bring those to your

05:57doctor so you can have a really informed discussion.

06:01So a postpartum hemorrhage is any bleeding emergency that can occur after childbirth. This is

06:12actually a really important topic because a mother's total circulating blood volume passes through the

06:19uterus in eight to 11 minutes at term. So that means blood loss can escalate really quickly. And we know

06:26that the United States is facing a maternal health crisis. And with that, postpartum hemorrhage is a

06:33leading cause of this. And despite there being, but despite it being one of the more common birth

06:39complications, really little progress has been made in impacting and making sure women are safe from the

06:46impact of postpartum hemorrhage. And actually, there is a study that found that Black mothers are nearly

06:51two times more likely to experience hemorrhage. So this is important. There are some things that you

06:58can discuss with your doctor and potential interventions that you can discuss before you

07:04even get into labor and delivery. And one that I want to discuss is called Jada. So when postpartum

07:11hemorrhage or any abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding occurs, we have to act and we have to act fast

07:19to manage bleeding. Thankfully, we have an intervention that can help us do just that.

07:26And that is the Jada system. When someone is bleeding, I can use the Jada system, which works by

07:34using a low level vacuum, which encourages the uterus to contract as it naturally should after birth.

07:42The time to control bleeding was just about three minutes. And in studies, about 94% of participants

07:49experience a successful treatment. The Jada system specifically is intended to provide control

07:56and treatment of abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding or hemorrhage when conservative management

08:02is warranted. And as it relates to safety, in clinical research, there were no adverse events deemed

08:09definitely related to the device or the procedure. And there was a low rate of possibly device-related

08:15adverse events. So it is important that people talk about what interventions are available to me

08:22in my delivery environment that can help reduce my risk of postpartum hemorrhage. And I would discuss

08:29Jada with your provider. It's really important that healthcare professionals have open communication

08:35with their patients about potential complications while we're in the office, before things hit the fan.

08:43It's important that together we formulate the right plan to optimize their pregnancy and birth

08:50experience. And should complications like a postpartum hemorrhage arise, we can ensure you

08:56that I and our staff are informed on how to recognize it, how to quickly respond with appropriate

09:03treatments, and how to keep you safe. So let's start some of this before we even get into the delivery

09:09room. I love that. Thank you so much, Dr. Phillips. And lastly, what would be a sign that you may be

09:14dealing with postpartum hemorrhage that you need to be alert about? So I tell people, you know,

09:21bleeding can vary after delivery, but generally your nurse and your doctor are responsible for

09:27recognizing a postpartum hemorrhage. And it's one of those things that like when it happens, you know.

09:32And women, for example, might experience just a gush of blood. We know from just menstruating what is

09:39kind of too much. That sense should alert you. That spidey sense should alert you, hey, let me call the

09:46nurse. Let me call the doctor. Let me call a family member so I can make sure I'm getting the necessary

09:52and quick help that I need. So it's really a rapid bleeding that people experience typically after

09:59delivery of the baby and placenta, but can occur upwards of 24 hours while you're in the hospital.

10:06Postpartum hemorrhaging is such an important topic that we need to pay attention to as we go into

10:10pregnancies and as we prepare for the postpartum period. So thank you so much for sharing that

10:14information, Dr. Phillips. Thank you. And before we go, can I just say this one thing?

10:20I know sometimes when we come into labor and delivery or when the pregnancy test, you know, turns the two

10:26lines, we may feel overwhelmed and that things are stacked against us. I want people to come into

10:32this experience with life and love and joy. We are here to keep you safe. These topics that we talk

10:41about postpartum hemorrhage during Black Maternal Health Week are to empower you with knowledge, not to

10:47instill fear. So use this to lead the conversation with your health care provider. Know what interventions

10:53are possible, such as the Jada device. Empower yourself, strengthen your diet, and come into

10:59this experience strong and enjoy your birth. I wish everyone the best of luck. Definitely. And we

11:07thank you for listening and learning. And as she said, they're here to give you all the knowledge you

11:11need to have a healthy and happy pregnancy. Thanks for watching.

WATCH | Health Matters: Postpartum Hemorrhage and the Fight for Black Maternal Health

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