#130: Why Black Women Are 4 Times More Likely to Die During Childbirth with Latham Thomas

In the U.S., maternal mortality and morbidity disproportionately affect Black women at a rate four to five times greater than white women. On top of higher fatality rates, Black women are also statistically more likely to experience pregnancy complications, including hypertension, placental disorders, gestational diabetes, blood disorders, and preeclampsia.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host Dhru talks to Latham Thomas, a Celebrity Doula and Maternity Wellness Expert. Latham Thomas supports women in embracing optimal wellness and spiritual growth as a pathway to empowerment. Latham is leading a revolution in radical self-care, guiding women everywhere to “mother themselves first.” Latham is the founder of Mama Glow, a global women’s health and education brand serving women along the childbearing continuum. Mama Glow supports women and families during the fertility period, pregnancy, birth, as well as during postpartum offering hand-holding through their bespoke doula services. Latham is also one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, and the author of, Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning the Queen.

In this episode, Dhru and Latham talk about how a system that is designed to help people actually ends up causing them harm when it comes to adverse birth outcomes. They discuss how a doula supports women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They also talk about reaffirming our children’s capacity for freedom during this time of racial unrest.

In this episode, we dive into:

-Racial disparities in adverse birth outcomes (6:53)

-The history of racial disparities in childbirth among Black women (17:27)

-Latham’s story of getting into birth work and what it means to have an advocate (27:30)

-Why you should consider having a doula help you through your childbirth (30:38)

-Why birth is really a meditative state and the importance of feeling safe during labor (32:12)

-Latham’s early experience supporting women in birth (33:45)

-What informed consent looks like and standing up for your rights in childbirth (44:10)

-How to support the process of education and access for marginalized communities when it comes to doula trainings (52:15)

-How Latham is helping her son navigate the world when it comes to the racial unrest and protests (1:02:58)

-Where to learn more about Latham (1:12:59)

For more on Latham Thomas, you can follow her on Instagram @glowmaven, on Facebook @lathamthomasglowmaven, on Twitter @glowmaven, and through her website here. You can find her book, Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning the Queen, here. Learn more about her Doula Training Program here.

Also mentioned in this episode:

-Op-ed in Cosmopolitan, America Was Already Failing Black Mothers. COVID-19 is Making It More Dangerous Than Ever

-CDC report on racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related deaths

-NPR article: Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.

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