Using Doulas to Improve Birth Outcomes

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By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

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Non-clinically trained professionals, also known as doulas, are essential in improving birth outcomes. They can provide varied care paradigms that advance positive outcomes during pregnancy, delivery, and after childbirth. One of the doulas’ critical services is the advancement of emotional care. Foundationally, they can advocate for emotional well-being throughout the pregnancy journey. Doulas also provide pertinent educational support by extending opportunities for women to access information on varied topics (Knocke et al., 2022). For example, they can link women to details regarding the possible risk factors they must watch out for during pregnancy, delivery, and after childbirth. This information is critical since it allows the target population to watch for warning signs and take precautionary measures to prevent poor maternal and infant outcomes. Women going through stressful faces during their pregnancy also benefit from doula services centered on advancing support structures. Thus, they are a critical part of improving birth outcomes.

Doulas also facilitate advocacy actions that benefit women during pregnancy, delivery, and after childbirth. Their critical role is to provide information that fosters women’s understanding regarding the signs to look for and address. Additionally, they provide pointers that inform on the best practice in pregnancy care (Knocke et al., 2022). Beyond this facilitation, doulas advocate for aspects that limit maternity care inequality. The non-clinically trained professionals also help women navigate critical processes in the healthcare sector. For example, they may point out the available social services. Doulas may also help access community services (Knocke et al., 2022). In other words, they may coordinate with a community nurse to offer relevant care services during the postpartum. The above facilitations provide the impetus for improving birth outcomes. Foundationally, doulas help women mitigate challenges during pregnancy and after delivery. Thus, they are instrumental in ensuring that desired results reflect among all pregnant individuals.

References

Knocke, K., Chappel, A., Sugar, S., De Lew, N., & Sommers, B.D. (2022). Doula care and maternal health: An Evidence review. Office of Health Policy. Retrieved from https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dfcd768f1caf6fabf3d281f762e8d068/ASPE-Doula-Issue-Brief-12-13-22.pdf

Depression and Pregnancy

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By Terrie Johnson| UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Photo by Amina Filkins on Pexels.com

The prevalence of depression in expectant mothers is high. This mental health disorder affects pregnant women and presents through fatigue, loss of appetite, suicidal ideation, and hopelessness, among other signs. The causes of depression during pregnancy are diverse and vary among individuals. For some people, this condition emanates from life-related uncertainties. For instance, unplanned pregnancies are stressful and often shake relationships. Thus, a woman may become depressed if her partner leaves and she is unsure if she can take care of the baby by herself. Also, one may have lost a previous pregnancy or child and is afraid that the events could reoccur. Thus, it is critical for would-be parents to seek psychotherapy before and during pregnancy to make the process smoother.

Depression in pregnant women can also occur due to pregnancy-related complications. During pregnancy, the body produces hormones that help with fetal growth. However, they are responsible for severe mood swings in some women. Negative mood changes accompanying pregnancy can turn into depression if they are not controlled. For example, one may have chronic, unexplained sadness. Failure to seek professional help results in depression because the body cannot regulate moods effectively during pregnancy. Moreover, physical pain in limbs or muscles during pregnancy can become chronic, which leads to depression.

While maternal depression can occur in patients who have never had this condition, those who have had it before are at a higher risk. According to Jahan et al. (2021), it affects fetal well-being and could result in preterm birth, low birth weight, or neurodevelopmental issues. Thus, expectant mothers should prioritize mental health by focusing on the positive outcomes of pregnancy. Regardless of the challenges, the result of pregnancy is a beautiful baby. Therefore, concentrating on what one can control protects the child and mother from physical and emotional turmoil. For example, women can engage in activities that make them look forward to having the baby, like shopping and knitting infant garments. Finally, one could spend time with other parents or attend child-care classes if they doubt their parenting abilities.

If you think you might have depression during pregnancy, talk to your healthcare provider about how you feel to determine your next steps. You are not alone.

Reference

Jahan, N., Went, T. R., Sultan, W., Sapkota, A., Khurshid, H., Qureshi, I. A., & Alfonso, M. (2021). Untreated depression during pregnancy and its effect on pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.17251

Preeclampsia Prevention in African American Women

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Ashley Peoples | UAB School of Education Community Health & Human Services Intern

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Preeclampsia is a condition where the blood pressure of a pregnant women increases beyond the normal range. So, how do African American women prevent preeclampsia? The first step to preventing preeclampsia is education.

Maintaining blood pressure is one of the keys to preventing preeclampsia and is something African American should be aware of. The article “Preeclampsia” states women who have a top blood pressure that is 140 or greater and bottom blood pressure of 90 and greater are at higher risk (Karrar & Hong, 2023). The CDC suggests women buy a at home blood pressure machine, and keep it monitored.

Karrar and Hong states “Like hypertensive disorders, the incidence of preeclampsia is correlated to ethnicity and race, most prevalent among African American”. Exercise is another preventive method for preeclampsia. Exercise can improve blood pressure and help keep it maintained. The BMC Public Health states “After a 12-week exercise intervention among healthy and nonactive pregnant women, the changes in resting blood pressure between intervention and baseline were assessed, and the researchers found that regular, long-term physical exercise significantly reduced resting systolic blood pressure” (Zhu et al., 2022).

I encourage all African American women to who are pregnant (or planning to get pregnant) to educate themselves on preeclampsia. I hope that this blog can help many African American women avoid the risks that come with preeclampsia. When we educate ourselves, we make a difference in our own health.

References:       

Karrar, S., & Hong, P. (n.d.). Preeclampsia – statpearls – NCBI bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK570611/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, June 19). High blood pressure during pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/pregnancy.htm

Zhu, Z., Xie, H., Liu, S., Yang, R., Yu, J., Yan, Y., Wang, X., Zhang, Z., & Yan, W. (2022). Effects of physical exercise on blood pressure during pregnancy. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14074-z