Episode 18: "Get Ya Baby, Black Mom, Get Ya Baby" - A Conversation About Pregnancy for Bla

Statistics indicate that black mothers and infants in the United States are more likely than their white counterparts to die from pregnancy-related causes. Given that this trend remains consistent across all education and socioeconomic levels, some commentators and scholars have attributed the black-white disparity in maternal health outcomes to the lived experience of being both black and a woman in America. Today, we unpack this issue by interviewing Dr. Nicole Sparks, a third-year OB/GYN resident in Savannah Georgia and graduate of Florida State University College of Medicine. We begin by discussing her motivation for pursuing a career in women’s health (22:45), how she balances motherhood, medicine, and being a wife (23:57), and factors that professional women should consider when delaying family planning (26:00). We then discuss the state of black women’s health care (28:26), “weathering” and discrimination in healthcare (31:00), and how women can better advocate for themselves (36:07). We also have a conversation about the health issues that disproportionately impact black mothers (39:27), how women can remain healthy during pregnancy (42:29), family planning and contraceptive options (47:52), and advice to women trying to become pregnant (1:00:11). We close by discussing resources for women seeking health services (1:05:25).

Other Topics Include:

00:30 - Catch up with Ty and Daphne

02:46 - BhD “Oh Lawd” News Segment

20:45 - Introduction of the Topic

22:30 - Learn more about Dr. Sparks

32:56 - Women’s Health in the US versus Other Countries*

45:17 - Do Pregnant Women REALLY need to eat for 2?

52:36 - Male Contraception/Birth Control

1:10:02 - Ty and Daphne reflect on the interview

*Correction: Second, not first, generation African immigrants had babies with lower birth weights after living in the US.

Resources

• Dr. Nicole Sparks’ Medicine, Motherhood, and Motivation Website - https://www.nikkisparksmd.com

• Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies are in a Life-or-Death Crisis - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/magazine/black-mothers-babies-death-maternal-mortality.html

• Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth. Shalon Irving Explains Why - https://www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why

• Childbirth is Killing Black Women in the US, and Here’s Why - https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/health/black-women-maternal-mortality/index.html

• Male Birth Control Shot Found Effective, but Side Effects Cut Study Short - https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/30/health/male-birth-control/index.html

• New Male Birth Control Might Cause Weight Gain, Boo Hoo - https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a19575819/new-male-birth-control-pill-side-effect/