Understanding that black mothers are at risk for death, it has focused many people in healthcare.
Blasses are likely to die three times more than white women due to issues related to pregnancy.
One of the driving factors is the development of cardiovascular issues.
Cheryl Stokes said that she first saw that something was wrong after giving birth to her son in 2005.
“I remember when he was born that I can’t really breathe. I thought I was just nervous, ”said Stokes.
Wake Forest mother said at home in the next few days, her breath became worse.
Stokes said she continues to brush the warnings signs, but eventually a family member urged her to call her doctor.
“I called my doctor and immediately sent me to the emergency room,” recalled Stokes. “By the time I reached there, he told me that I had a heart failure.”
Stokes said she was surprised to hear the news that she had developed postpartum cardiomyopathy.
“I didn’t expect yet. My child, at this point, is four days and I am in the emergency room and I am now fighting for my life, ”Stokes said.
He was placed on several drugs to control his blood pressure. The next year was spent in and out of the doctor’s visits to manage his heart health.
“It was a very scary and I feel very lucky because I had great insurance,” Stokes said.
Stokes said that her life was saved with her ability to take care and her doctor’s perseverance.
“I know that everyone does not have access to good prenatal care. Cheryrl said that this could be another way that I was not in a position that I was not in that position, “Cheryl said. “Not everyone has an African American doctor who is on lookout.”
Since 19 years, Cheryl has made several lifestyle changes to prioritize her heart health, including losing weight, healthy eating options and increasing exercises.
“It was a wake up call and it has been a trip,” she expressed.
Dr. Manesh Patel is a cardiologist with Duke Health and is a National Board Member for the American Heart Association.
He said that it is important to reduce maternal mortality, especially in minority communities, especially in minority communities.
“I think it is to learn and listen to both the clinical team and doctors groups and medical teams in different ways, but I also think it is raising awareness,” they shared.
A part of the education that the doctor needed, said that new doctors would be the same signal to identify everyone with cardiovascular issues.
“I say all the time to my residents and colleagues: your body does not read the textbook. There are different symptoms of many people,” Patel said. “Partly it is aware of the risks that people carry.”
The doctor explained that it is also important to ensure that women are regularly keeping with a doctor’s visit.
“As a developed country, maternal mortality is very high, so we have to work on these things to understand how to curb it,” he said.
Patel said that new and expected mothers should try to include full fruits and vegetables in their diet.
He also said that being as physically active as possible, smoking and avoiding the smoke of the other hand, taking a lot of sleep and monitoring cholesterol and blood pressure levels can help everyone reduce the risk of heart disease development.