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I
just wanted to illustrate
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how over-the-top my daughter
is in every aspect of her life.
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00:00:43,794 --> 00:00:46,128
Shamony's hyper. She's crazy.
4
00:00:46,129 --> 00:00:48,048
She does everything
with force. She's loud.
5
00:00:49,508 --> 00:00:52,594
She brushes her teeth like the
teeth did something to her.
6
00:00:53,178 --> 00:00:54,137
Bed-Stuy do or die.
7
00:01:02,521 --> 00:01:03,521
So we got to run.
8
00:01:05,107 --> 00:01:07,733
Oh lord. I don't
need to warm up.
9
00:01:07,734 --> 00:01:10,319
I got this. I got
this. Why you laughing?
10
00:01:12,197 --> 00:01:13,198
Woo!
11
00:01:14,992 --> 00:01:16,410
This crazy man
12
00:01:17,369 --> 00:01:18,786
got me running too much.
13
00:01:26,295 --> 00:01:28,337
How does it feel
for me to be moving out?
14
00:01:28,338 --> 00:01:31,508
- Uh, okay. Okay!
15
00:01:32,134 --> 00:01:35,012
Same day, different apartment.
16
00:01:35,554 --> 00:01:36,637
I'm making a list.
17
00:01:36,638 --> 00:01:39,390
I told Shamony to
make 20 lists before.
18
00:01:39,391 --> 00:01:41,184
- The thing is that both Omari
19
00:01:41,185 --> 00:01:44,061
and I have pregnancy
brain, right, O?
20
00:01:44,062 --> 00:01:45,662
- Yeah, we do.
It's clearly you.
21
00:01:47,608 --> 00:01:49,108
Oh goodness.
22
00:01:49,109 --> 00:01:51,694
So your baby going to
be Moses Maynard Gibson?
23
00:01:51,695 --> 00:01:52,446
No. No.
24
00:01:52,447 --> 00:01:54,322
No, I'm
kidding. Moses Maynard?
25
00:01:54,323 --> 00:01:55,740
No.
26
00:02:43,372 --> 00:02:44,372
- Say hi.
27
00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:04,601
Hey, baby.
28
00:03:06,937 --> 00:03:08,897
Time is flying.
Four months already.
29
00:03:09,565 --> 00:03:12,317
Every day is a new process.
You wake up like, "Oh my god,
30
00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:16,654
I'm that much closer
to being a mom again."
31
00:03:44,183 --> 00:03:46,143
- Hi, sweet baby.
32
00:03:46,685 --> 00:03:49,896
So I am... What? I
can't say sweet baby?
33
00:03:49,897 --> 00:03:50,897
Who're you talking to?
34
00:03:50,898 --> 00:03:52,023
- I'm talking to Khari.
35
00:03:52,024 --> 00:03:53,024
Oh.
36
00:03:53,108 --> 00:03:54,693
- So, um...
37
00:03:55,611 --> 00:03:58,696
Yes, my plan was to
have you at home,
38
00:03:58,697 --> 00:04:01,199
so maybe your
auntie will record.
39
00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:02,408
And I can still
have you at home.
40
00:04:02,409 --> 00:04:05,244
We have three hours from now.
41
00:04:05,245 --> 00:04:09,249
But, however, it doesn't
always work, right?
42
00:04:09,708 --> 00:04:11,792
So if you were born tomorrow...
43
00:04:11,793 --> 00:04:13,461
It's been four months
44
00:04:13,462 --> 00:04:16,715
and three days since
she passed away.
45
00:04:17,758 --> 00:04:20,219
You know, it feels
like it was last week.
46
00:04:25,098 --> 00:04:26,517
- Greetings, family.
47
00:04:27,684 --> 00:04:30,228
I didn't know all of this
beautifulness was behind me.
48
00:04:30,229 --> 00:04:32,688
I'm so blown away
and so appreciative
49
00:04:32,689 --> 00:04:35,274
and so humbled by your presence.
50
00:04:36,443 --> 00:04:40,238
So, um, this is my
daughter's birthday.
51
00:04:40,239 --> 00:04:42,281
She would've been
31 years old today,
52
00:04:42,282 --> 00:04:44,617
and she loved to plan
things and to party,
53
00:04:44,618 --> 00:04:46,661
so we're having this
celebration on her behalf.
54
00:04:46,662 --> 00:04:48,413
This is a celebration of life,
55
00:04:48,914 --> 00:04:51,165
but also it's about how
Shamony has been speaking
56
00:04:51,166 --> 00:04:52,792
to all of us in our family
57
00:04:52,793 --> 00:04:55,254
and extended community
since she passed.
58
00:05:10,394 --> 00:05:13,480
About an hour ago, I
started to, to falter.
59
00:05:14,147 --> 00:05:16,148
Um, and I won't
even call it falter.
60
00:05:16,149 --> 00:05:18,026
I'm just experiencing
my grief, you know.
61
00:05:25,033 --> 00:05:26,784
Alright, so how you
want us to line up, cousin?
62
00:05:26,785 --> 00:05:27,952
Um, family first?
63
00:05:27,953 --> 00:05:30,247
Can I get family,
age order please?
64
00:06:16,084 --> 00:06:17,461
It's a
struggle every day,
65
00:06:18,212 --> 00:06:21,089
particularly because what
happened with Shamony
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00:06:21,423 --> 00:06:23,133
was absolutely preventable.
67
00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,016
She ended up with a C-section.
68
00:06:31,725 --> 00:06:33,018
My baby.
69
00:06:33,310 --> 00:06:35,562
My baby that I've been
waiting forever for.
70
00:06:36,313 --> 00:06:38,273
You did
amazing, Shamony.
71
00:06:40,526 --> 00:06:42,027
So we leave
the hospital.
72
00:06:42,611 --> 00:06:45,363
Within the first week,
she was complaining
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00:06:45,364 --> 00:06:47,783
about having shortness of
breath when she talked.
74
00:06:48,909 --> 00:06:50,576
She
walked down the stairs
75
00:06:50,577 --> 00:06:52,245
to get something.
76
00:06:52,246 --> 00:06:54,705
And when she was
trying to get back up,
77
00:06:54,706 --> 00:06:56,123
she couldn't move.
78
00:06:56,124 --> 00:06:59,002
Like, she was just, she had to
just lay on the floor for a while.
79
00:07:00,754 --> 00:07:02,213
We called the hospital,
80
00:07:02,214 --> 00:07:04,049
telled them what
the symptoms were.
81
00:07:04,424 --> 00:07:07,261
The doctor said, you know,
"It's okay. Just relax."
82
00:07:08,136 --> 00:07:10,639
That proceeded for
the next two weeks.
83
00:07:12,558 --> 00:07:16,978
We go back to the
hospital for, um, Shamony
84
00:07:16,979 --> 00:07:20,566
so that they could remove her
staples from her C-section.
85
00:07:20,983 --> 00:07:23,317
I was again telling them
what the symptoms were.
86
00:07:23,318 --> 00:07:25,612
Asking them what are some
things that we can do.
87
00:07:25,988 --> 00:07:29,740
And, you know, the answer pretty
much was the same every time.
88
00:07:29,741 --> 00:07:31,021
"Just makes sure
that she rests."
89
00:07:31,660 --> 00:07:35,330
There wasn't much of a sense of
urgency on their part at all.
90
00:07:36,582 --> 00:07:39,333
That's the expert,
and I'm not a doctor,
91
00:07:39,334 --> 00:07:40,668
so okay.
92
00:07:40,669 --> 00:07:43,130
I rallied people to
make meals for her.
93
00:07:43,422 --> 00:07:44,798
I did what we do!
94
00:07:45,424 --> 00:07:46,842
Just take care of her.
95
00:07:49,678 --> 00:07:52,889
Two weeks after,
you know, she gave birth,
96
00:07:52,890 --> 00:07:56,977
Shamony was complaining that she
had really sharp chest pains.
97
00:07:57,352 --> 00:07:59,688
She says, "I want to go
to the hospital now."
98
00:08:01,690 --> 00:08:04,401
Her mom and her aunt were
in the back with her.
99
00:08:05,319 --> 00:08:08,154
And as I'm packing the bag, I just
hear them screaming and screaming,
100
00:08:08,155 --> 00:08:09,780
"Omari, Omari, come in
here. Come in here."
101
00:08:09,781 --> 00:08:14,494
So I run in there, and
then I just see Shamony is,
102
00:08:15,662 --> 00:08:17,038
she's just in shock.
103
00:08:19,249 --> 00:08:21,126
The ambulance came.
104
00:08:21,877 --> 00:08:23,503
It seems like forever,
but it was only minutes.
105
00:08:23,504 --> 00:08:26,506
And I immediately started talking
to them about what was happening.
106
00:08:26,507 --> 00:08:28,424
Like, "She just
had a C-section."
107
00:08:28,425 --> 00:08:29,717
I'm telling them the symptoms.
108
00:08:29,718 --> 00:08:32,929
- You know, they kept asking
me, they kept asking her mother,
109
00:08:32,930 --> 00:08:34,680
"Is she on any drugs
or anything like that?
110
00:08:34,681 --> 00:08:35,848
Was she taking any drugs?"
111
00:08:35,849 --> 00:08:37,249
Like, "No, she
doesn't take drugs."
112
00:08:37,851 --> 00:08:39,519
- Next set of people come in.
113
00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,021
"Is she on drugs?
Does she use drugs?"
114
00:08:42,022 --> 00:08:45,566
I just told your
colleagues. I'm telling you.
115
00:08:45,567 --> 00:08:47,569
Then another round
of people come in,
116
00:08:48,403 --> 00:08:49,529
"Is she on drugs?"
117
00:08:49,530 --> 00:08:51,240
I'm like, "Do y'all talk?"
118
00:08:51,782 --> 00:08:55,244
They finally take her in an
ambulance to the closest hospital.
119
00:08:56,203 --> 00:08:57,828
- That was not the place
120
00:08:57,829 --> 00:09:00,331
where I would want my
daughter to be sent ever.
121
00:09:00,332 --> 00:09:01,791
There was no money
in that hospital.
122
00:09:01,792 --> 00:09:04,210
They didn't have what they
needed to care for her.
123
00:09:04,211 --> 00:09:06,046
They had been divested from.
124
00:09:06,755 --> 00:09:09,549
They eventually figured
it was a pulmonary embolism.
125
00:09:09,550 --> 00:09:12,552
But all they could do there
is give her blood thinners
126
00:09:12,553 --> 00:09:15,222
and hope that the
blood clot would pop.
127
00:09:16,598 --> 00:09:21,353
We waited, you know, and it was,
I want to say, a solid 12 hours.
128
00:09:23,397 --> 00:09:26,859
So many people were
showing up at the hospital,
129
00:09:27,276 --> 00:09:30,361
just standing in the hallway,
praying, praying, praying
130
00:09:30,362 --> 00:09:33,824
like, you know, putting it out
there that she was going to,
131
00:09:34,157 --> 00:09:35,557
some... a miracle
was gonna happen.
132
00:09:38,036 --> 00:09:41,290
- And I'm watching this while
watching my daughter in distress.
133
00:09:42,374 --> 00:09:45,042
And just thinking, if they
would have listened to her
134
00:09:45,043 --> 00:09:46,795
during that postpartum time,
135
00:09:47,254 --> 00:09:49,131
it wouldn't have
come to this point.
136
00:09:50,340 --> 00:09:52,884
My cousin comes
in the room and she's like,
137
00:09:52,885 --> 00:09:53,926
"She's gone."
138
00:09:53,927 --> 00:09:55,344
Everybody just fell apart.
139
00:09:58,098 --> 00:09:59,765
There's
just so many levels
140
00:09:59,766 --> 00:10:02,394
of frustrations
that come, you know,
141
00:10:03,729 --> 00:10:06,230
and just understanding
the scope of who we are
142
00:10:06,231 --> 00:10:08,566
and what we look like and
where we live, you know,
143
00:10:08,567 --> 00:10:11,653
and the stereotypes that
come with that, you know.
144
00:10:14,198 --> 00:10:19,119
Having to deal with that on top of
watching your partner pass away,
145
00:10:19,953 --> 00:10:21,288
you know, it's, um,
146
00:10:23,415 --> 00:10:24,874
tough isn't the word, you know.
147
00:10:24,875 --> 00:10:27,044
It's, it's, it's
more than tough.
148
00:10:38,055 --> 00:10:39,515
Let's go downstairs.
149
00:10:44,186 --> 00:10:45,437
Alright.
150
00:10:54,988 --> 00:10:56,781
You ready? Let's go.
151
00:11:15,592 --> 00:11:18,178
Telling Anari that her
mother passed away was,
152
00:11:18,595 --> 00:11:19,680
it was hard.
153
00:11:24,184 --> 00:11:26,186
She asks about her
mother all the time.
154
00:11:42,452 --> 00:11:46,206
- Anari!
155
00:11:47,666 --> 00:11:48,834
Okay.
156
00:11:49,376 --> 00:11:51,420
You want to give daddy hugs.
157
00:11:53,255 --> 00:11:54,297
Okay.
158
00:12:14,484 --> 00:12:18,321
Shamony definitely
was, you know, my muse.
159
00:12:18,322 --> 00:12:19,989
- Omari here is going
to be doing my makeup.
160
00:12:21,658 --> 00:12:23,785
- It's going to be money. Go.
161
00:12:24,203 --> 00:12:25,579
Got to start in
the middle, right?
162
00:12:28,874 --> 00:12:30,959
Make sure you put it
on nice and thick.
163
00:12:40,010 --> 00:12:42,304
I've never lived
in this house without her.
164
00:12:45,807 --> 00:12:48,476
There's times where I wake up,
165
00:12:48,477 --> 00:12:51,104
and I'm just shocked
166
00:12:51,855 --> 00:12:55,859
to be sleeping in
our bed by myself.
167
00:13:24,930 --> 00:13:26,390
It's hard adjusting.
168
00:13:30,143 --> 00:13:31,936
I can't believe that Amber
169
00:13:31,937 --> 00:13:34,147
is not going to be
coming back home.
170
00:13:40,070 --> 00:13:42,363
- So this month, we'll
be learning about plants.
171
00:13:42,364 --> 00:13:44,907
So today, I'm going to
demonstrate how to plant.
172
00:13:44,908 --> 00:13:48,871
Organic potting mix, it's usually
good for every kind of plant.
173
00:13:50,163 --> 00:13:51,415
You're gonna need...
174
00:13:51,748 --> 00:13:54,250
I'm using a Mason jar, but you
don't need to use a Mason jar.
175
00:13:54,251 --> 00:13:55,771
You can use whatever
you have at home.
176
00:13:56,420 --> 00:13:58,046
This is going to get messy,
177
00:13:58,964 --> 00:14:00,840
so I'm sure the
kids will love this.
178
00:14:00,841 --> 00:14:03,551
Let them. If you do
have soil at home,
179
00:14:03,552 --> 00:14:05,928
let them experience
it, play with it.
180
00:14:05,929 --> 00:14:09,391
Um, it's a good sensory
activity as well...
181
00:14:09,766 --> 00:14:11,351
I can still
hear her feet,
182
00:14:12,102 --> 00:14:13,729
stomping her feet
and running in.
183
00:14:14,605 --> 00:14:17,273
She, uh, opens the door and
jumps straight on the bed
184
00:14:17,274 --> 00:14:18,482
and starts jumping on me
185
00:14:18,483 --> 00:14:21,486
and pushing me and pulling
on me and waking me up,
186
00:14:22,029 --> 00:14:24,615
uh, and she says
that we're pregnant.
187
00:14:29,036 --> 00:14:31,288
It's a boy.
188
00:14:32,748 --> 00:14:35,584
Amber had such
a pregnant glow to her.
189
00:14:37,336 --> 00:14:39,045
She was just so excited.
190
00:14:42,007 --> 00:14:43,884
During her second
and third trimester,
191
00:14:44,718 --> 00:14:48,054
we started noticing she
was having headaches.
192
00:14:48,055 --> 00:14:49,223
She was getting dizzy,
193
00:14:49,848 --> 00:14:51,892
and she was having a
tough time breathing.
194
00:14:52,976 --> 00:14:56,229
And all of her concerns
were being taken lightly.
195
00:14:56,230 --> 00:14:59,106
"Oh, these are just
pregnancy-related symptoms.
196
00:14:59,107 --> 00:15:00,108
You're okay."
197
00:15:00,943 --> 00:15:03,611
So I took the
initiative to search
198
00:15:03,612 --> 00:15:06,656
and do research on
midwives and doulas
199
00:15:06,657 --> 00:15:09,576
and stumbled across
Nubia Martin.
200
00:15:11,662 --> 00:15:13,037
Bruce
and Amber reached out
201
00:15:13,038 --> 00:15:14,957
trying to switch
over to home birth.
202
00:15:15,582 --> 00:15:18,751
So let's start right
here. Okay.
203
00:15:18,752 --> 00:15:21,045
- She knew something was
off, and she was hoping
204
00:15:21,046 --> 00:15:24,715
that switching to midwifery care
would get to the bottom of that.
205
00:15:24,716 --> 00:15:25,968
Walk your hands...
206
00:15:27,052 --> 00:15:29,929
When they sent her prenatal
records for us to review,
207
00:15:29,930 --> 00:15:32,808
the first thing that jumped out
was the issue with the platelets.
208
00:15:33,267 --> 00:15:35,978
I said this is not right. You
need to go to the hospital.
209
00:15:36,770 --> 00:15:39,982
If the platelet levels go lower
than 150, they need to be monitored.
210
00:15:40,691 --> 00:15:44,444
Her platelet levels had been less
and deteriorating since December.
211
00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:46,363
We're in April.
212
00:15:47,865 --> 00:15:49,950
This is high risk.
213
00:15:50,617 --> 00:15:53,036
The hospital's not bringing
this to our attention at all.
214
00:15:55,330 --> 00:15:57,291
Amber wanted to write a tell-all
215
00:15:57,708 --> 00:15:59,751
about the care that
she had been receiving.
216
00:16:02,462 --> 00:16:04,798
Finally, they started
paying attention to her
217
00:16:05,215 --> 00:16:07,718
and diagnosed her
with HELLP syndrome.
218
00:16:10,721 --> 00:16:13,515
They could have caught
it early, treated it.
219
00:16:20,355 --> 00:16:22,065
She went
into the hospital.
220
00:16:25,152 --> 00:16:28,322
They induced her labor, and they
rushed her into a C-section.
221
00:16:31,533 --> 00:16:34,411
The high-risk doctor just left
my daughter there with some,
222
00:16:34,828 --> 00:16:36,413
uh, a young team there.
223
00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,667
They cut her open. Her
blood is water-like at this point.
224
00:16:41,376 --> 00:16:43,170
She's lied open on the table,
225
00:16:43,754 --> 00:16:44,755
bleeding out.
226
00:16:46,006 --> 00:16:50,260
They were neglecting her
until it was way too late.
227
00:16:57,643 --> 00:17:00,103
We thought Montefiore was
going to take care of her.
228
00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,651
We had Amber's mother, who
worked there for 25 years.
229
00:17:07,736 --> 00:17:09,487
They gave
that statement
230
00:17:09,488 --> 00:17:13,700
that they had a mortality
rate of 0.01 percent.
231
00:17:18,205 --> 00:17:19,748
That's all I got from them.
232
00:17:25,796 --> 00:17:27,506
Amber would've been
a wonderful mother.
233
00:17:28,632 --> 00:17:31,384
She was working on her masters.
She wanted to be an art therapist.
234
00:17:31,385 --> 00:17:34,304
She started teaching,
and she loved these kids.
235
00:17:35,389 --> 00:17:37,432
She wanted this so
badly, you know.
236
00:17:41,228 --> 00:17:42,396
She's my only child.
237
00:17:43,272 --> 00:17:44,314
She's all I had.
238
00:17:44,898 --> 00:17:48,068
I'm grateful that she
left Elias for us.
239
00:18:03,792 --> 00:18:04,877
What's going on, man?
240
00:18:05,711 --> 00:18:08,071
How you doing, man? Yo,
I got to give you a hug, bro.
241
00:18:09,214 --> 00:18:10,631
Oh, man.
242
00:18:10,632 --> 00:18:13,552
I heard about Bruce and
what happened to Amber Isaac.
243
00:18:13,927 --> 00:18:16,138
I just immediately
reached out to him
244
00:18:17,055 --> 00:18:20,933
to just say, "Hey, man, it's a
lot. I know exactly how you feel.
245
00:18:20,934 --> 00:18:23,520
If you need somebody to talk
to, then, you know, here I am."
246
00:18:25,355 --> 00:18:27,231
I wanted specifically
to just meet you,
247
00:18:27,232 --> 00:18:30,152
because I know that y'all
know how I'm feeling.
248
00:18:30,527 --> 00:18:33,739
Even if I'm not able to articulate
it the way I want to, like, I know.
249
00:18:34,281 --> 00:18:37,617
- It's like this shit, this shit is
just so, like, surreal sometimes.
250
00:18:37,618 --> 00:18:41,662
Like, I just be thinking, like,
"Damn, this can't be real life."
251
00:18:41,663 --> 00:18:42,247
Yeah.
252
00:18:42,539 --> 00:18:43,789
- You know, I still got that...
253
00:18:43,790 --> 00:18:46,000
I feel like somebody's foot
is in my throat, like...
254
00:18:46,001 --> 00:18:47,544
- Yeah. Yeah.
255
00:18:47,836 --> 00:18:49,212
- Like, that's...
- I know.
256
00:18:49,213 --> 00:18:52,840
I still don't feel like I've
grasped the entire concept
257
00:18:52,841 --> 00:18:56,469
of her not being here
physically, you know.
258
00:18:56,470 --> 00:18:59,639
And of course, there's other
people in our position, you know,
259
00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,517
so that's why I feel too, we
can turn our pain into power
260
00:19:02,518 --> 00:19:03,976
and make something
of this, you know.
261
00:19:03,977 --> 00:19:07,021
So, I could either... chill
262
00:19:07,022 --> 00:19:09,398
or I could, you know,
do something, you know.
263
00:19:09,399 --> 00:19:11,901
And I'm taking the
position of doing something
264
00:19:11,902 --> 00:19:15,656
because, you know, that's what I
know that we are here for, you know.
265
00:19:16,156 --> 00:19:20,451
- Yeah. I got to take action in
some way, some way. I got to...
266
00:19:20,452 --> 00:19:22,328
If I'm not doing nothing,
I at least got to study
267
00:19:22,329 --> 00:19:24,289
so I know what I'm
fighting against.
268
00:19:25,582 --> 00:19:26,583
Yeah.
269
00:19:28,961 --> 00:19:30,045
Alright.
270
00:19:31,672 --> 00:19:32,798
You ready to do this?
271
00:19:33,423 --> 00:19:35,174
- Ready when you ready.
- Alright, cool, cool.
272
00:19:52,860 --> 00:19:54,460
Just got to
keep going. That's it.
273
00:19:54,528 --> 00:19:57,364
That's all we got to do, one
foot in front of the other.
274
00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:10,793
Come on. come on.
275
00:20:10,794 --> 00:20:12,754
This is it right
there, right here.
276
00:20:13,046 --> 00:20:15,632
Amber and Shamony
at the finish line.
277
00:20:16,049 --> 00:20:17,050
Come on.
278
00:20:24,391 --> 00:20:25,433
- Woo!
279
00:20:36,778 --> 00:20:37,988
Right in there.
280
00:20:40,115 --> 00:20:41,325
Come on now.
281
00:20:43,535 --> 00:20:44,995
- Hi!
282
00:20:45,495 --> 00:20:47,289
Hey, we matching?
283
00:20:52,628 --> 00:20:55,755
I was aware that
this is a growing epidemic
284
00:20:55,756 --> 00:20:57,131
in our communities,
285
00:20:57,132 --> 00:21:00,593
and that is so upsetting to me.
286
00:21:00,594 --> 00:21:03,471
An alarm has to be
sounded about this.
287
00:21:03,472 --> 00:21:05,973
I never thought that
this would happen to my family.
288
00:21:05,974 --> 00:21:06,391
Yes.
289
00:21:06,392 --> 00:21:08,809
- Because I do
reproductive justice work.
290
00:21:08,810 --> 00:21:09,810
- Mm-hmm. But,
291
00:21:10,437 --> 00:21:12,146
you know, just also,
why wouldn't it?
292
00:21:12,147 --> 00:21:13,523
We're Black and brown.
Right. Right.
293
00:21:13,524 --> 00:21:15,233
- You know, she's a woman.
She was having a baby,
294
00:21:15,234 --> 00:21:17,068
so why would we think
we would be exempt?
295
00:21:17,069 --> 00:21:18,569
Because we have the
knowledge? Mm-hmm.
296
00:21:18,570 --> 00:21:21,030
- Knowledge doesn't save
you from this epidemic.
297
00:21:21,031 --> 00:21:21,698
That's right.
298
00:21:21,699 --> 00:21:24,701
- Omari, I can't speak
for you, but I'm mourning
299
00:21:26,703 --> 00:21:28,246
growing old with my daughter.
300
00:21:28,247 --> 00:21:29,789
- Yeah, definitely.
301
00:21:29,790 --> 00:21:31,124
- We were 20 years apart,
302
00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:33,584
and the women in my
family live a long time.
303
00:21:33,585 --> 00:21:37,004
So I anticipated being
90 and her being 70
304
00:21:37,005 --> 00:21:39,299
and getting on each other's
nerves in that space,
305
00:21:39,591 --> 00:21:40,884
you know, um.
306
00:21:41,385 --> 00:21:46,138
So mourning what could have
been is also very real.
307
00:21:46,139 --> 00:21:48,558
- I definitely want to
partner with fathers
308
00:21:48,559 --> 00:21:52,270
who specifically have
suffered loss the way I have
309
00:21:52,271 --> 00:21:55,273
and to get fathers together
to just really talk about
310
00:21:55,274 --> 00:21:58,317
how after, you know, you
lose somebody important,
311
00:21:58,318 --> 00:21:59,944
how the community helps.
312
00:21:59,945 --> 00:22:03,906
- If it's possible to have
this space be one of the hubs
313
00:22:03,907 --> 00:22:06,993
where men gather and
have these conversations,
314
00:22:06,994 --> 00:22:08,744
I especially want
it for Black men,
315
00:22:08,745 --> 00:22:13,207
because it's a desert out
there in reference to support.
316
00:22:13,208 --> 00:22:17,670
- You know, this is not something
that is just specific to me
317
00:22:17,671 --> 00:22:19,714
or specific to just
a handful of people.
318
00:22:19,715 --> 00:22:22,049
Like, hundreds and
thousands of men
319
00:22:22,050 --> 00:22:25,345
are going through this same,
you know, scenario, situation.
320
00:22:33,145 --> 00:22:34,354
Look, Daddy.
321
00:22:35,230 --> 00:22:36,398
Hello.
- Look.
322
00:22:37,649 --> 00:22:38,649
Hi.
323
00:22:39,067 --> 00:22:40,903
- Good morning.
Is Anthony there?
324
00:22:41,737 --> 00:22:44,280
I'm one of Anthony's
math teachers.
325
00:22:44,281 --> 00:22:45,365
This is Anthony.
326
00:22:45,949 --> 00:22:47,825
- Um, so what's
going on, Anthony?
327
00:22:47,826 --> 00:22:50,828
You haven't been really
completing your math assignments,
328
00:22:50,829 --> 00:22:53,289
so I just wanted to see what
was the reason for that?
329
00:22:53,290 --> 00:22:54,958
- I want to do the race car.
330
00:22:56,126 --> 00:22:57,126
- Okay.
331
00:22:57,127 --> 00:22:58,878
Race car.
Okay, baby.
332
00:22:58,879 --> 00:23:02,633
If you're having some
troubles with your math work,
333
00:23:03,133 --> 00:23:06,135
then you're going to
get in contact with me,
334
00:23:06,136 --> 00:23:07,856
and I'm going to help
you out with it, okay?
335
00:23:08,472 --> 00:23:09,764
Okay.
Alright, awesome.
336
00:23:09,765 --> 00:23:11,141
You have a great day, Anthony.
337
00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,194
Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
338
00:23:24,863 --> 00:23:27,823
You're a little tricky, huh?
You trying to get tricky?
339
00:23:27,824 --> 00:23:29,034
You trying to get tricky?
340
00:23:31,036 --> 00:23:33,580
As I'm trying to get
through day to day,
341
00:23:34,248 --> 00:23:37,876
a handful of men got
in contact with me.
342
00:23:39,002 --> 00:23:40,921
Their partners also passed away.
343
00:23:42,214 --> 00:23:43,882
And it had such an effect on me.
344
00:23:44,842 --> 00:23:46,218
I wasn't by myself.
345
00:23:48,345 --> 00:23:52,098
- Thank you for all the brothers who
came, and I'm definitely grateful,
346
00:23:52,099 --> 00:23:55,309
uh, for what we're able to
do, creating this circle,
347
00:23:55,310 --> 00:23:56,853
you know, with Omari
348
00:23:56,854 --> 00:24:01,065
to support brothers
like Omari and Mustafa
349
00:24:01,066 --> 00:24:04,987
who are in the particular
place where they sit.
350
00:24:05,654 --> 00:24:07,030
- My name's Mustafa Shabazz.
351
00:24:07,489 --> 00:24:10,284
Me and Omari, we're basically going
through the same pain right now.
352
00:24:10,951 --> 00:24:13,744
My lady died. Like you
said, you felt hopeless?
353
00:24:13,745 --> 00:24:15,163
I felt the same way.
354
00:24:15,414 --> 00:24:18,374
I watched her take her last
breath in front of my eyes,
355
00:24:18,375 --> 00:24:19,877
and there was nothing I can do.
356
00:24:20,169 --> 00:24:21,169
Nothing.
357
00:24:22,087 --> 00:24:25,548
I had, I had to go
and get a DNA test
358
00:24:25,549 --> 00:24:27,383
just to take my son
out of the hospital.
359
00:24:27,384 --> 00:24:29,178
They didn't believe
that he was my son.
360
00:24:29,511 --> 00:24:31,263
I said, why would I be
here? Why would I...
361
00:24:31,722 --> 00:24:34,056
Why would I even be here
if this is not my child?
362
00:24:34,057 --> 00:24:37,311
I just, honestly, I just
don't think they care.
363
00:24:39,479 --> 00:24:42,565
When we stop to think
about maternal mortality,
364
00:24:42,566 --> 00:24:44,817
that's a reality that
any of us can face,
365
00:24:44,818 --> 00:24:48,280
and as a father with a
daughter, that's scary for me.
366
00:24:49,323 --> 00:24:51,742
We have to give ourselves
permission to be angry.
367
00:24:52,117 --> 00:24:55,203
And so it's important for
us that we have a space
368
00:24:55,204 --> 00:24:58,456
where I can go and
create the relationships
369
00:24:58,457 --> 00:25:02,586
where we're vulnerable enough
to share in this environment.
370
00:25:03,921 --> 00:25:05,588
- It could be any one of us.
371
00:25:05,589 --> 00:25:09,175
Honestly, man. Like, the
tables just turned so fast,
372
00:25:09,176 --> 00:25:11,344
you know, when you,
you don't have no,
373
00:25:11,345 --> 00:25:13,514
you don't have the control,
you don't have the power.
374
00:25:14,014 --> 00:25:16,266
But with that said, uh,
375
00:25:17,434 --> 00:25:18,684
you could have the support.
376
00:25:18,685 --> 00:25:20,102
You know, we could
support each other,
377
00:25:20,103 --> 00:25:22,856
creating the community
that we want to see,
378
00:25:23,232 --> 00:25:25,317
and the way we want
to see it, you know.
379
00:25:25,776 --> 00:25:28,152
With that community, I
want to create a space
380
00:25:28,153 --> 00:25:33,282
where we can then start to try
to change policy, you know,
381
00:25:33,283 --> 00:25:35,159
and have a thousand,
382
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:37,912
hundreds of thousands of people
backing what we're saying.
383
00:25:37,913 --> 00:25:39,539
Because that's the
only way it works.
384
00:25:45,838 --> 00:25:47,589
Today, we
stand in solidarity
385
00:25:48,006 --> 00:25:50,342
with the family of Amber Isaac.
386
00:25:52,803 --> 00:25:53,762
- I can't even believe
387
00:25:53,763 --> 00:25:55,889
we're even here today
about this situation.
388
00:25:58,141 --> 00:26:00,519
Amber was just such
a divine woman.
389
00:26:01,270 --> 00:26:03,105
All she wanted to
do was help people.
390
00:26:04,731 --> 00:26:06,191
And y'all took that from us.
391
00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:10,945
Um, I actually had some
stuff that I had written down
392
00:26:10,946 --> 00:26:13,740
that I want to discuss and that
I want to go over because my mind
393
00:26:14,116 --> 00:26:15,575
It's okay.
- Has been everywhere
394
00:26:15,576 --> 00:26:17,786
since this whole
situation occurred.
395
00:26:22,666 --> 00:26:26,336
We're supposed to be the most
advanced country in the world,
396
00:26:26,879 --> 00:26:28,963
but the racial disparities
are becoming more
397
00:26:28,964 --> 00:26:30,424
and more evident each day.
398
00:26:31,550 --> 00:26:34,553
Black women are four
times more likely to die
399
00:26:34,970 --> 00:26:37,431
than their white counterparts
with the same symptoms.
400
00:26:38,182 --> 00:26:42,269
The maternal mortality rate has
doubled here in the United States.
401
00:26:43,020 --> 00:26:45,521
It was safer for our
parents to have children
402
00:26:45,522 --> 00:26:46,814
than it is for us today.
403
00:26:46,815 --> 00:26:47,816
Amen.
404
00:26:51,236 --> 00:26:52,237
- Why is that?
405
00:27:01,288 --> 00:27:03,414
- Welcome, everybody.
I'm Dr. Neel Shah,
406
00:27:03,415 --> 00:27:05,750
and this is Expecting
More Dialogues
407
00:27:05,751 --> 00:27:07,669
which is the new web
series we're kicking off
408
00:27:08,253 --> 00:27:11,672
that is exploring
the opportunities,
409
00:27:11,673 --> 00:27:13,174
the challenges, the hopes,
410
00:27:13,175 --> 00:27:15,510
and the lived
experiences of people
411
00:27:15,511 --> 00:27:17,303
who are giving birth
in America right now.
412
00:27:17,304 --> 00:27:20,432
We've invited three
incredible human beings
413
00:27:20,849 --> 00:27:23,184
to be part of this dialogue
that we're going to have today
414
00:27:23,185 --> 00:27:27,021
and to teach me and to teach
all of us about what it is
415
00:27:27,022 --> 00:27:28,941
that we can be doing
about this problem.
416
00:27:29,483 --> 00:27:30,775
So let's start here maybe.
417
00:27:30,776 --> 00:27:32,485
Bruce, um, tell
us what happened.
418
00:27:32,486 --> 00:27:34,820
I'm not sure everybody
out there knows the story.
419
00:27:34,821 --> 00:27:37,198
- Amber was facing negligence
420
00:27:37,199 --> 00:27:40,327
and incompetence within
the medical system.
421
00:27:40,702 --> 00:27:44,622
Down from the OB to the,
um, to the secretary
422
00:27:44,623 --> 00:27:46,415
was being nasty with her.
423
00:27:46,416 --> 00:27:48,126
Down to security.
424
00:27:48,836 --> 00:27:49,836
You know?
425
00:27:50,087 --> 00:27:52,965
The day I took Amber in, when she
was admitted into the hospital,
426
00:27:53,465 --> 00:27:54,841
security at the
front telling me,
427
00:27:54,842 --> 00:27:58,303
"Oh, it's okay, Mr. Babydaddy,
428
00:27:58,971 --> 00:28:00,346
go sit down over there.
429
00:28:00,347 --> 00:28:01,932
You can't go up."
430
00:28:02,349 --> 00:28:05,227
You know,
everything that Bruce described
431
00:28:05,811 --> 00:28:07,103
in his story
432
00:28:07,104 --> 00:28:09,021
is things that
advocates like myself
433
00:28:09,022 --> 00:28:10,857
and others have been
saying for years, right,
434
00:28:10,858 --> 00:28:12,650
that we have a systemic issue.
435
00:28:12,651 --> 00:28:15,444
And I've said it in, in, in
packed rooms, full of OBs.
436
00:28:15,445 --> 00:28:18,573
You know what I mean? Like, patients,
ultimately, they want to be seen,
437
00:28:18,574 --> 00:28:20,575
they want to be heard,
and they want to know
438
00:28:20,576 --> 00:28:22,953
that someone genuinely
cares about their wellbeing.
439
00:28:27,833 --> 00:28:29,625
I think that the wellbeing
of moms is a bellwether
440
00:28:29,626 --> 00:28:31,253
for the wellbeing of
society in general.
441
00:28:32,379 --> 00:28:34,922
And that's why every
injustice in our society
442
00:28:34,923 --> 00:28:38,594
shows up in maternal health and
in maternal health outcomes.
443
00:28:39,553 --> 00:28:40,596
In 2018,
444
00:28:41,430 --> 00:28:43,848
journalists started to
tell the stories of people
445
00:28:43,849 --> 00:28:45,100
that were dying in childbirth.
446
00:28:46,226 --> 00:28:49,271
Those stories ended up
compelling the federal government
447
00:28:49,730 --> 00:28:52,815
to start to track maternal
mortality much more systematically.
448
00:28:52,816 --> 00:28:55,235
So 2018 was the first
year we really did that.
449
00:28:56,904 --> 00:29:00,282
I started to read and
see all these trends,
450
00:29:00,866 --> 00:29:03,994
including the explosion
in C-section rates.
451
00:29:06,205 --> 00:29:10,625
We intervene with major
surgery 500 percent more
452
00:29:10,626 --> 00:29:12,836
than we used to in the 1970s.
453
00:29:14,755 --> 00:29:17,257
And maternal mortality
rates just fly upwards.
454
00:29:21,261 --> 00:29:23,972
And when it comes to Black
women, those risks are higher.
455
00:29:29,770 --> 00:29:33,189
C-sections do save lives. I'm trained
to do them. I believe in them.
456
00:29:33,190 --> 00:29:35,692
But major surgery
is major surgery.
457
00:29:37,194 --> 00:29:39,111
Surgical complications
like organ injury,
458
00:29:39,112 --> 00:29:41,739
hemorrhage, infection are
about three times more likely
459
00:29:41,740 --> 00:29:44,243
to happen with a C-section
than a vaginal delivery.
460
00:29:48,580 --> 00:29:50,706
Oh, it's very cute.
Congratulations to you both.
461
00:29:50,707 --> 00:29:52,307
Thank you so
much. Thank you.
462
00:29:52,918 --> 00:29:55,336
Black women have a
higher rate of C-sections.
463
00:29:55,337 --> 00:29:57,588
Yeah. I would really
encourage you to do that.
464
00:29:57,589 --> 00:29:58,841
I started to think about
465
00:29:59,675 --> 00:30:00,967
my own practice
466
00:30:00,968 --> 00:30:04,679
and how it's possible that
really well-intended people
467
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:06,139
can be doing racist things.
468
00:30:08,475 --> 00:30:11,645
For example, when Black
people are expressing concern
469
00:30:12,354 --> 00:30:16,275
around pain or other
symptoms, they're heard less.
470
00:30:17,526 --> 00:30:20,987
And in medicine, we've
literally created algorithms
471
00:30:20,988 --> 00:30:23,949
where we've conflated
race and racism.
472
00:30:25,242 --> 00:30:27,577
You can help somebody understand
473
00:30:27,578 --> 00:30:29,745
their odds of having a
successful vaginal delivery
474
00:30:29,746 --> 00:30:30,747
with a calculator.
475
00:30:31,164 --> 00:30:32,875
And if they're Black,
their odds drop.
476
00:30:33,375 --> 00:30:35,961
And it has nothing to do with
who they are or their biology.
477
00:30:36,879 --> 00:30:39,297
The calculator ends up
gatekeeping treatment,
478
00:30:39,298 --> 00:30:40,382
care, and support.
479
00:30:41,341 --> 00:30:43,886
So if you're Black, you're
less likely to get good support
480
00:30:44,511 --> 00:30:46,263
to have the vaginal
delivery that you want.
481
00:31:00,819 --> 00:31:02,529
I've been
a midwife 23 years.
482
00:31:03,322 --> 00:31:05,072
I went to Georgetown University.
483
00:31:05,073 --> 00:31:07,491
I have a bachelor's
of science in nursing,
484
00:31:07,492 --> 00:31:10,078
and I have a masters
in midwifery education.
485
00:31:11,079 --> 00:31:13,624
Let's see what this
baby is doing today.
486
00:31:16,418 --> 00:31:20,796
We are trained to let
those that can have births
487
00:31:20,797 --> 00:31:23,842
that happen spontaneously
the way it's always been.
488
00:31:24,801 --> 00:31:27,887
We care for women in
the home, birth centers,
489
00:31:27,888 --> 00:31:29,055
and the hospital space.
490
00:31:29,056 --> 00:31:31,140
The head is still
down. Mm-hmm.
491
00:31:31,141 --> 00:31:32,433
Nice and down.
492
00:31:32,434 --> 00:31:35,394
We follow a shared decision-making
model with the patient,
493
00:31:35,395 --> 00:31:38,314
giving them a lot of options
to choose their path.
494
00:31:38,315 --> 00:31:40,441
So you got everything
prepared for the birth?
495
00:31:40,442 --> 00:31:41,401
Mm-hmm.
496
00:31:41,402 --> 00:31:43,529
I'm here to
practice an allowance
497
00:31:43,862 --> 00:31:46,739
for her body to do
what it needs to do
498
00:31:46,740 --> 00:31:47,908
to give birth.
499
00:31:49,743 --> 00:31:53,539
Only six to nine percent of all
births in our country are by midwives.
500
00:31:55,082 --> 00:31:57,667
In Europe, midwives
were integrated
501
00:31:57,668 --> 00:31:59,294
into women's healthcare,
502
00:32:00,546 --> 00:32:01,797
and they're doing better
503
00:32:02,172 --> 00:32:05,551
than our dismal maternal
mortality morbidity rate.
504
00:32:06,093 --> 00:32:09,428
We are higher than the
UK, higher than France,
505
00:32:09,429 --> 00:32:11,390
higher than Germany,
higher than Sweden.
506
00:32:11,890 --> 00:32:16,562
We have the highest rate of
all industrialized nations.
507
00:32:18,438 --> 00:32:21,483
In this country, as
technology has advanced,
508
00:32:21,817 --> 00:32:25,946
childbirth has become more
technologically driven.
509
00:32:26,738 --> 00:32:28,740
In hospitals, by and large,
510
00:32:29,074 --> 00:32:31,994
um, it has not been a shared
decision-making model.
511
00:32:32,786 --> 00:32:36,081
We call it the medical
technocratic patriarchal model.
512
00:32:36,665 --> 00:32:40,752
Pregnancy is a healthcare
challenge to manage.
513
00:32:41,170 --> 00:32:42,837
- We have 9:00 a. m. induction
514
00:32:42,838 --> 00:32:45,923
of a 21-year-old G1,
P0 at 39 and three.
515
00:32:45,924 --> 00:32:48,050
We have two
inductions, we have KW
516
00:32:48,051 --> 00:32:50,344
of a 34-year-old G3, P1-0-1-1.
517
00:32:50,345 --> 00:32:54,307
And the other 7:00 p. m. induction is
a CWC Fetal Specialty Clinic patient
518
00:32:54,308 --> 00:32:56,476
who's had a history of
one prior C-section.
519
00:32:56,852 --> 00:32:58,352
Doctors are trained
520
00:32:58,353 --> 00:33:00,147
in active management of labor.
521
00:33:01,273 --> 00:33:03,734
Induce them and get them
going and do all this stuff.
522
00:33:04,568 --> 00:33:08,070
You put her on
Pitocin via the IV
523
00:33:08,071 --> 00:33:10,156
to get the contractions regular.
524
00:33:10,157 --> 00:33:14,410
The goal is every two to three
minutes for your contractions. Okay.
525
00:33:14,411 --> 00:33:16,079
You break the water
526
00:33:16,580 --> 00:33:19,207
and you do things to push her
527
00:33:19,208 --> 00:33:23,128
along the labor
curve, as we call it,
528
00:33:23,420 --> 00:33:25,964
um, to get that baby out.
529
00:33:27,883 --> 00:33:30,260
The thing that she's
going to remember the most
530
00:33:31,220 --> 00:33:33,262
is what happened during
her labor and birth.
531
00:33:33,263 --> 00:33:34,515
Every woman does.
532
00:33:36,892 --> 00:33:38,894
Women have
to take that back.
533
00:34:07,589 --> 00:34:10,716
Women of color
count for nearly 80 percent
534
00:34:10,717 --> 00:34:13,428
of pregnancy-related
death in this city.
535
00:34:14,012 --> 00:34:16,138
We are just dragging our feet
536
00:34:16,139 --> 00:34:19,184
on one of the most serious
issues of our time.
537
00:34:20,060 --> 00:34:23,145
We're going to call
up Shawnee B. Gibson.
538
00:34:30,821 --> 00:34:32,989
- I'm a fellow citizen
and mother in mourning
539
00:34:32,990 --> 00:34:34,949
over the loss of my eldest child
540
00:34:34,950 --> 00:34:36,994
whose death could
have been prevented.
541
00:34:37,703 --> 00:34:39,912
Today, I act as a
vessel and a conduit
542
00:34:39,913 --> 00:34:43,584
for the voice of my daughter,
Shamony Makeba Gibson,
543
00:34:44,418 --> 00:34:47,003
and the voices of so
many young women of color
544
00:34:47,004 --> 00:34:48,088
just like her.
545
00:34:49,089 --> 00:34:52,801
As a reproductive advocate and leader
in the reproductive health community,
546
00:34:53,260 --> 00:34:55,887
I thought that I
would be spared.
547
00:34:55,888 --> 00:34:58,973
I naively believed
that my optimism
548
00:34:58,974 --> 00:35:01,350
about how knowledgeable
we all were
549
00:35:01,351 --> 00:35:03,978
would shield her
from this epidemic.
550
00:35:03,979 --> 00:35:05,022
Wow.
551
00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:08,858
What I am seeking are
systems and institutions
552
00:35:08,859 --> 00:35:12,612
that are committed to making
sure that we address racism
553
00:35:12,613 --> 00:35:15,114
and anti-Black
racism, specifically.
554
00:35:15,115 --> 00:35:17,825
I am here to declare that
my work will not stop.
555
00:35:17,826 --> 00:35:19,535
I am here to hold
myself accountable
556
00:35:19,536 --> 00:35:21,370
and to hold those responsible
557
00:35:21,371 --> 00:35:24,957
who knowingly and unknowingly
keep this epidemic going.
558
00:35:24,958 --> 00:35:28,419
I am here to let you know that
Shamony Makeba Gibson lived.
559
00:35:28,420 --> 00:35:31,255
She is alive in this movement,
and she is alive in this moment
560
00:35:31,256 --> 00:35:35,134
as I speak her name,
Shamony Makeba Gibson.
561
00:35:35,135 --> 00:35:37,762
Shamony Makeba Gibson.
562
00:35:37,763 --> 00:35:40,097
Shamony Makeba Gibson.
563
00:35:40,098 --> 00:35:41,391
Thank you for listening.
564
00:36:06,375 --> 00:36:09,210
As a professor at Harvard
School of Public Health,
565
00:36:09,211 --> 00:36:12,213
I had an opportunity to travel to
different hospitals across the country,
566
00:36:12,214 --> 00:36:14,007
studying maternal
health outcomes.
567
00:36:15,592 --> 00:36:18,427
Oklahoma is a place that has
a maternal mortality rate
568
00:36:18,428 --> 00:36:19,972
that's double the
national average.
569
00:36:21,473 --> 00:36:24,017
When you rank every state in
terms of maternal mortality,
570
00:36:24,768 --> 00:36:26,019
they're in the bottom five.
571
00:36:28,856 --> 00:36:31,441
The medical centers that
we're working with in Tulsa
572
00:36:31,900 --> 00:36:34,528
have some of the
highest rates of injury
573
00:36:34,862 --> 00:36:36,530
during childbirth in the state.
574
00:36:37,948 --> 00:36:40,158
They take care of a
lot of people of color,
575
00:36:41,243 --> 00:36:43,537
and they have a persistently
high C-section rate.
576
00:36:45,789 --> 00:36:47,415
We're here today
because we think
577
00:36:47,416 --> 00:36:49,709
that we could get the
whole country to reimagine
578
00:36:49,710 --> 00:36:51,586
the care that
people should expect
579
00:36:51,587 --> 00:36:54,423
during one of the most important
and vulnerable moments of our lives.
580
00:36:54,923 --> 00:36:57,508
This will only really work
if each and every one of you
581
00:36:57,509 --> 00:36:58,969
believes that this
is possible too.
582
00:37:02,264 --> 00:37:03,432
This is triage.
- Hi.
583
00:37:03,765 --> 00:37:04,600
Awesome.
584
00:37:04,601 --> 00:37:08,312
Labor and delivery units in
the modern era resemble cardiac ICUs.
585
00:37:09,771 --> 00:37:12,774
The only difference is that our
operating rooms are attached.
586
00:37:13,567 --> 00:37:17,278
We take 99 percent of people
giving birth in America,
587
00:37:17,279 --> 00:37:20,032
we put them in ICUs, and we
surround them by surgeons.
588
00:37:20,741 --> 00:37:22,074
So we see a lot of surgery.
589
00:37:22,075 --> 00:37:24,077
It doesn't take rocket
science to figure it out.
590
00:37:24,620 --> 00:37:26,747
- We get a lot of laboring
patients out here.
591
00:37:27,164 --> 00:37:28,664
And how many
ORs do you guys have?
592
00:37:28,665 --> 00:37:29,374
- Two.
593
00:37:29,375 --> 00:37:30,583
Are they right on the unit?
- Yes.
594
00:37:30,584 --> 00:37:31,584
Yeah.
- Yeah.
595
00:37:32,085 --> 00:37:35,254
In a hospital, the
cost of doing a C-section
596
00:37:35,255 --> 00:37:37,966
is lower than the cost of
doing a vaginal delivery.
597
00:37:38,592 --> 00:37:41,762
The shorter that labor
is, the less it will cost.
598
00:37:43,013 --> 00:37:45,806
It is also true though,
that if you do a C-section
599
00:37:45,807 --> 00:37:48,226
the hospital gets paid
about 50 percent more
600
00:37:48,227 --> 00:37:49,937
than if there's
vaginal delivery.
601
00:37:51,813 --> 00:37:54,233
You can imagine what kind of
incentives that might set up.
602
00:37:57,319 --> 00:37:58,569
Hey, how are you?
603
00:37:58,570 --> 00:37:59,570
Good.
604
00:37:59,947 --> 00:38:01,587
Edwards.
605
00:38:01,782 --> 00:38:02,782
Okay.
606
00:38:03,534 --> 00:38:04,618
In this state,
607
00:38:05,702 --> 00:38:08,120
Black women represent
ten percent of births,
608
00:38:08,121 --> 00:38:10,707
but we're 20 percent
of the deaths.
609
00:38:11,124 --> 00:38:14,043
And Tulsa is one of the
worst places in the country
610
00:38:14,044 --> 00:38:15,045
to have a baby.
611
00:38:15,629 --> 00:38:16,629
I didn't know.
612
00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:19,048
How are you today?
613
00:38:20,259 --> 00:38:22,219
Alright. How
you doing? FELICIA: Good.
614
00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:23,970
Well, let's
take a look at baby.
615
00:38:23,971 --> 00:38:25,448
Let's measure this
belly. Okay.
616
00:38:32,563 --> 00:38:35,107
I called my
mom crying one morning
617
00:38:35,983 --> 00:38:38,651
because the statistics
618
00:38:38,652 --> 00:38:42,531
of being Black having a baby
in America, like, hit me.
619
00:38:44,408 --> 00:38:47,577
Really I hadn't thought about
it until Serena Williams
620
00:38:47,578 --> 00:38:49,328
talked about her
birth experience
621
00:38:49,329 --> 00:38:53,207
and she's, like, the best
athlete in the world.
622
00:38:53,208 --> 00:38:56,335
And she had to make them listen
to her about her blood clots.
623
00:38:59,298 --> 00:39:01,465
And then when I started
dealing with myself,
624
00:39:01,466 --> 00:39:04,011
I was like, this is a big deal.
625
00:39:05,429 --> 00:39:07,180
A Black woman having
a baby is like
626
00:39:07,181 --> 00:39:10,017
a Black man in a traffic
stop with the police.
627
00:39:11,977 --> 00:39:13,728
You have to, like,
really pay attention
628
00:39:13,729 --> 00:39:16,398
to what's going on, like,
every step of the way.
629
00:39:16,940 --> 00:39:18,233
There you go.
630
00:39:20,444 --> 00:39:21,570
And in the hospital,
631
00:39:22,112 --> 00:39:24,156
appointments are quick,
they're not intimate.
632
00:39:26,867 --> 00:39:30,412
You don't have time
to build that trust.
633
00:39:31,538 --> 00:39:32,747
Have a good
day. You too.
634
00:39:32,748 --> 00:39:34,624
It's going to be hard
635
00:39:34,625 --> 00:39:37,169
to find someone I'm
just comfortable with.
636
00:39:43,967 --> 00:39:45,469
Very early
in my career,
637
00:39:45,844 --> 00:39:50,014
I noticed how Black
women were, uh, used
638
00:39:50,015 --> 00:39:51,141
as guinea pigs
639
00:39:52,017 --> 00:39:54,019
in the hospital, um, system.
640
00:39:56,396 --> 00:40:00,275
I became a nurse in a very
elite teaching hospital,
641
00:40:02,236 --> 00:40:04,862
and I started to see
things that just really
642
00:40:04,863 --> 00:40:06,949
don't go along
with my philosophy.
643
00:40:08,367 --> 00:40:11,035
If you have private
insurance and you're white,
644
00:40:11,036 --> 00:40:14,081
you have a private physician
who's on call for you.
645
00:40:15,415 --> 00:40:18,251
The clinic population
by and large
646
00:40:18,252 --> 00:40:22,089
tend to be Black and brown
women who have Medicaid,
647
00:40:22,422 --> 00:40:25,467
are treated by
resident learners.
648
00:40:26,802 --> 00:40:29,555
Every woman is getting
her vagina cut open.
649
00:40:30,681 --> 00:40:32,890
A woman doesn't need
it, but you cut it
650
00:40:32,891 --> 00:40:34,768
because you need to
learn how to sew.
651
00:40:36,311 --> 00:40:41,233
I'm at a place that is
literally practicing on people.
652
00:40:44,278 --> 00:40:47,113
Black women have
been experimented on
653
00:40:47,114 --> 00:40:51,285
to perfect the
profession of gynecology.
654
00:40:54,121 --> 00:40:56,289
The United States had
655
00:40:56,290 --> 00:40:58,916
a population of enslaved peoples
656
00:40:58,917 --> 00:41:02,962
that they could do what they
wanted to, when they wanted to,
657
00:41:02,963 --> 00:41:04,464
how they wanted to do it.
658
00:41:06,550 --> 00:41:10,136
As a woman, your worth is about
659
00:41:10,137 --> 00:41:12,848
what your womb can
produce for my plantation.
660
00:41:13,849 --> 00:41:16,642
Black women are having
so many children,
661
00:41:16,643 --> 00:41:18,478
they're getting fistulas.
662
00:41:19,021 --> 00:41:21,022
Enter J. Marion Sims.
663
00:41:21,023 --> 00:41:23,275
He's considered the
father of gynecology
664
00:41:23,775 --> 00:41:27,654
who decides that he's going
to figure out how to fix this.
665
00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:30,656
He's fixing it so
she can go back
666
00:41:30,657 --> 00:41:34,577
and have more children so
that she, as a commodity,
667
00:41:34,578 --> 00:41:37,915
continues to be useful
for her slave master.
668
00:41:39,625 --> 00:41:43,086
And he cut them open
however many times.
669
00:41:44,630 --> 00:41:47,840
And then there were modules
written about the things
670
00:41:47,841 --> 00:41:49,301
that were done to them
671
00:41:50,761 --> 00:41:52,971
saying, well, they
don't feel pain,
672
00:41:53,722 --> 00:41:56,642
but the woman is
literally screaming.
673
00:41:57,893 --> 00:42:00,478
And that's how the United
States becomes a superpower
674
00:42:00,479 --> 00:42:04,066
when it comes to OB/GYN surgery.
675
00:42:05,567 --> 00:42:07,485
Black women by and large
676
00:42:07,486 --> 00:42:10,072
continue to be cared for
677
00:42:10,572 --> 00:42:11,990
by learners.
678
00:42:13,033 --> 00:42:16,578
It's the marrying of
the over-medicalization
679
00:42:16,995 --> 00:42:19,831
with inexperience
680
00:42:20,832 --> 00:42:22,583
that's really the foundation
681
00:42:22,584 --> 00:42:25,838
when it comes to maternal
mortality and morbidity.
682
00:42:32,511 --> 00:42:33,512
Momma.
683
00:42:34,137 --> 00:42:35,388
Who is that?
684
00:42:35,389 --> 00:42:36,265
- Mommy.
685
00:42:36,266 --> 00:42:38,392
Good. Now show
us your project. Come.
686
00:42:40,018 --> 00:42:41,019
I see it.
687
00:42:41,937 --> 00:42:44,188
Whoa. Let's do it.
688
00:42:44,189 --> 00:42:45,607
Don't spill it!
689
00:42:46,441 --> 00:42:47,609
Look, Mommy.
690
00:42:49,987 --> 00:42:52,029
Wow, that's pretty!
691
00:42:53,365 --> 00:42:54,907
Let me see it.
- Hmm?
692
00:42:54,908 --> 00:42:56,659
Let me see it. Good.
693
00:42:56,660 --> 00:42:59,162
We have pictures of
Shamony up everywhere.
694
00:42:59,913 --> 00:43:01,331
She's always around.
695
00:43:14,553 --> 00:43:18,640
Through my artwork, I'm
able to connect with her
696
00:43:19,683 --> 00:43:22,895
in a way that I've never
had since she passed.
697
00:43:25,647 --> 00:43:29,067
It really does help
with how I process.
698
00:43:31,987 --> 00:43:36,407
One day I thought, right now,
I paint one of Amber Isaac,
699
00:43:36,408 --> 00:43:38,785
paint one of Bruce's partner.
700
00:43:41,246 --> 00:43:43,248
I wanted to give him this gift.
701
00:43:53,008 --> 00:43:54,168
- I'm gonna set up over here.
702
00:44:05,020 --> 00:44:06,730
Sanitizers.
703
00:44:08,190 --> 00:44:09,190
Thank you.
704
00:44:10,150 --> 00:44:12,194
Alright. So the front, we
got to get the front gate.
705
00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:17,783
Hey, how are you?
706
00:44:18,158 --> 00:44:20,160
Good. Good, good, good, good.
707
00:44:21,119 --> 00:44:23,204
I'm sorry.
How you feeling?
708
00:44:23,205 --> 00:44:23,872
How you doing?
709
00:44:25,290 --> 00:44:26,124
- Hanging in there?
710
00:44:26,125 --> 00:44:27,125
- Sweating bullets, are you?
711
00:44:27,126 --> 00:44:28,835
- I know. I'm here working.
712
00:44:28,836 --> 00:44:30,253
Yeah. I'm here working.
713
00:44:30,254 --> 00:44:32,088
Speaking of the... Yo, we
was just talking about you.
714
00:44:32,089 --> 00:44:33,090
Really?
715
00:44:33,423 --> 00:44:36,634
Yeah, I had to... I got here,
like, five, ten minutes ago
716
00:44:36,635 --> 00:44:38,262
but I had to stop
and get some coffee.
717
00:44:40,848 --> 00:44:42,473
I knew
you were addicted.
718
00:44:42,474 --> 00:44:44,976
You got free hands
or somebody to hold your...
719
00:44:44,977 --> 00:44:47,479
Alright. Cool, cool.
This is for you.
720
00:44:48,689 --> 00:44:50,482
Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, man.
721
00:44:57,239 --> 00:44:58,073
Love you, man.
722
00:44:58,074 --> 00:44:59,194
Love you, too.
723
00:45:02,494 --> 00:45:04,288
We're doing
this together, man.
724
00:45:11,044 --> 00:45:13,505
Thank
y'all so much for being here.
725
00:45:13,922 --> 00:45:15,048
This is our first event.
726
00:45:15,716 --> 00:45:17,676
We're a little nervous,
but we need to be here.
727
00:45:18,510 --> 00:45:20,430
We need to keep talking
until they're hearing us.
728
00:45:21,972 --> 00:45:23,973
We're tired of saying
that we need justice.
729
00:45:23,974 --> 00:45:25,267
We need change.
730
00:45:26,101 --> 00:45:27,978
We're done asking.
We're demanding.
731
00:45:28,604 --> 00:45:31,856
- Nobody's asking for anything
exorbitant or extravagant
732
00:45:31,857 --> 00:45:33,274
or out of the ordinary.
733
00:45:33,275 --> 00:45:35,861
We just want to make sure
that we have the same
734
00:45:36,236 --> 00:45:37,278
as anybody else.
735
00:45:37,279 --> 00:45:39,114
We are dying at a rate
736
00:45:40,032 --> 00:45:42,909
12 times more in this city.
737
00:45:42,910 --> 00:45:45,369
If these numbers
were flipped around
738
00:45:45,370 --> 00:45:47,747
and white women were dying at the
rate that Black women are dying,
739
00:45:47,748 --> 00:45:49,165
it would be a national crisis.
740
00:45:49,166 --> 00:45:51,542
Why is that not deemed a crisis?
741
00:45:51,543 --> 00:45:54,837
This crazy behind
system is killing us.
742
00:45:54,838 --> 00:45:56,423
We call it Aftershock,
743
00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:59,259
because Shamony's death
was like a tsunami.
744
00:45:59,843 --> 00:46:02,220
When Black mothers die, there's
a ripple effect and, yes,
745
00:46:02,221 --> 00:46:03,846
the death is the earthquake.
746
00:46:03,847 --> 00:46:06,683
But the shit afterward
is overwhelming.
747
00:46:07,643 --> 00:46:08,976
The nights where I
get up, and it's like,
748
00:46:08,977 --> 00:46:12,021
"Oh my god, I miss my daughter.
I miss her calling me."
749
00:46:12,022 --> 00:46:13,815
Now I wish she would
call me 30 times a day.
750
00:46:14,733 --> 00:46:16,943
After today, taking action,
751
00:46:16,944 --> 00:46:20,029
Shamony lives through me being
an activist and a revolutionary
752
00:46:20,030 --> 00:46:22,240
and the revolution
will be tweeted,
753
00:46:22,241 --> 00:46:24,368
Instagrammed, Facebooked.
754
00:46:24,910 --> 00:46:26,536
It will be recorded.
755
00:46:30,958 --> 00:46:33,501
Two fathers are
sharing their heartbreak
756
00:46:33,502 --> 00:46:37,464
to draw attention to medical
disparities in Black communities.
757
00:46:37,756 --> 00:46:39,882
Shamony's death was
758
00:46:39,883 --> 00:46:43,595
a direct result of
systemic racism.
759
00:46:44,805 --> 00:46:47,932
Within the medical system,
there's been this repetitive pattern.
760
00:46:47,933 --> 00:46:51,102
If Amber would've received
standard care, she would be here.
761
00:46:51,103 --> 00:46:52,980
And that's
what he wants now
762
00:46:53,814 --> 00:46:55,482
for every mother of color.
763
00:47:02,823 --> 00:47:04,740
Part of what I want to
think through with you all is just
764
00:47:04,741 --> 00:47:06,117
about, like, the messaging.
765
00:47:06,118 --> 00:47:08,411
And I think it's really
important that we name
766
00:47:08,412 --> 00:47:10,580
what the mission
is, which is equity.
767
00:47:10,581 --> 00:47:12,540
Mm-hmm. It
can't be safer for all mothers
768
00:47:12,541 --> 00:47:16,085
until it's safer for Black
mothers, Native mothers.
769
00:47:16,086 --> 00:47:17,921
And so when we
talk about equity,
770
00:47:18,463 --> 00:47:20,007
there's folks who
have to catch up
771
00:47:20,340 --> 00:47:22,884
before that can even,
like, be a thing.
772
00:47:22,885 --> 00:47:23,552
Yeah.
773
00:47:23,553 --> 00:47:25,094
You know, you can't fix
things that you don't name,
774
00:47:25,095 --> 00:47:26,430
and I do deeply believe that.
775
00:47:26,889 --> 00:47:28,306
We're really, really fortunate
776
00:47:28,307 --> 00:47:30,057
to be working with
a community partner,
777
00:47:30,058 --> 00:47:31,225
LaBrisa Williams,
778
00:47:31,226 --> 00:47:34,897
an extraordinary advocate for
birth justice and birth equity,
779
00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:38,441
is someone that we can stand
shoulder to shoulder with
780
00:47:38,442 --> 00:47:40,359
as we're walking
around the hospitals
781
00:47:40,360 --> 00:47:42,528
and trying to build that
accountability to the community
782
00:47:42,529 --> 00:47:43,779
within the health systems.
783
00:47:48,368 --> 00:47:49,410
You guys
ready to start?
784
00:47:49,411 --> 00:47:50,370
Yeah, sure.
Yeah.
785
00:47:50,371 --> 00:47:52,080
So we'll gather
right over there.
786
00:47:52,789 --> 00:47:56,752
We designed a process
that structures communication.
787
00:47:58,420 --> 00:48:02,423
So every person giving birth
has a systematic way of knowing
788
00:48:02,424 --> 00:48:04,759
that what they're expecting,
what they want to know,
789
00:48:04,760 --> 00:48:06,594
what they want to say
is going to get heard.
790
00:48:06,595 --> 00:48:08,095
Everything that we're
reading in the headlines
791
00:48:08,096 --> 00:48:10,016
about maternal mortality
in our country going up,
792
00:48:10,432 --> 00:48:12,683
what people are dying of is
not the clinical condition
793
00:48:12,684 --> 00:48:13,894
on the death certificate.
794
00:48:14,311 --> 00:48:16,563
It's a failure of communication,
teamwork every time.
795
00:48:17,397 --> 00:48:18,564
What Team Birth is about,
796
00:48:18,565 --> 00:48:20,733
it's doing the things
that we already know,
797
00:48:20,734 --> 00:48:23,110
but making sure the people that
we're caring for can see it.
798
00:48:23,111 --> 00:48:25,780
We really focus
on patient experience
799
00:48:25,781 --> 00:48:27,740
and, like, make sure
they feel seen and heard.
800
00:48:27,741 --> 00:48:28,741
Yeah.
801
00:48:29,618 --> 00:48:30,618
That's awesome.
802
00:48:32,788 --> 00:48:34,623
It's a very,
very simple idea.
803
00:48:35,249 --> 00:48:37,708
It's a version of the
same dry erase whiteboard
804
00:48:37,709 --> 00:48:41,003
that exists in almost
every inpatient room
805
00:48:41,004 --> 00:48:42,589
in every hospital in America.
806
00:48:43,257 --> 00:48:45,508
Usually, that board is primarily
807
00:48:45,509 --> 00:48:47,427
for nurses to kind of
talk to themselves.
808
00:48:47,928 --> 00:48:50,973
We structured it to have the
preferences of the person giving birth.
809
00:48:51,598 --> 00:48:54,433
And then there's a place where
you write down the next time
810
00:48:54,434 --> 00:48:56,477
the team is going to get
back together again and talk.
811
00:48:56,478 --> 00:48:58,104
- The most important thing is
that we're being transparent
812
00:48:58,105 --> 00:48:59,939
with the patient about
what the plan is.
813
00:48:59,940 --> 00:49:01,399
I'm sure
you all have seen
814
00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:03,317
the headlines around
maternal mortality.
815
00:49:03,318 --> 00:49:05,111
You've seen the way
that it's been impacting
816
00:49:05,112 --> 00:49:07,364
the people that
you're caring for.
817
00:49:07,823 --> 00:49:09,323
So this is about
better outcomes,
818
00:49:09,324 --> 00:49:11,826
which is also about building
trust along the way.
819
00:49:11,827 --> 00:49:14,538
When we walk through
Bruce's story,
820
00:49:15,330 --> 00:49:17,833
there's so many examples
of that not happening,
821
00:49:18,375 --> 00:49:20,918
not only not feeling
seen and heard,
822
00:49:20,919 --> 00:49:24,339
but also not being told
what was happening.
823
00:49:24,965 --> 00:49:26,592
Right? That should
never happen.
824
00:49:32,097 --> 00:49:33,097
It's Bruce.
825
00:49:33,724 --> 00:49:36,143
- Hello, guys.
What's up, everybody?
826
00:49:36,935 --> 00:49:37,936
Oh.
827
00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:40,605
Oh, look at the couches.
828
00:49:40,606 --> 00:49:41,856
Yes!
829
00:49:41,857 --> 00:49:43,858
How's Elias?
- Oh, he's doing good.
830
00:49:43,859 --> 00:49:45,985
I really started
talking to Nubia more
831
00:49:45,986 --> 00:49:47,863
about the medical system.
832
00:49:48,238 --> 00:49:50,282
Now that more people
are paying attention,
833
00:49:50,657 --> 00:49:53,159
we have to band together
to bring effective change
834
00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:54,494
and help our communities.
835
00:49:54,870 --> 00:49:56,622
My name is Bruce McIntyre.
836
00:49:57,122 --> 00:50:00,208
Us as a collective have been
doing a lot of groundwork,
837
00:50:00,209 --> 00:50:04,212
redirecting the course
for birthing equity.
838
00:50:04,213 --> 00:50:07,382
- I met Bruce and
Amber, his partner,
839
00:50:07,966 --> 00:50:10,134
because they were
being grossly neglected
840
00:50:10,135 --> 00:50:11,470
in the hospital setting.
841
00:50:12,429 --> 00:50:13,889
Amber did not survive.
842
00:50:15,057 --> 00:50:18,267
And one of the things I was
talking to Bruce about was
843
00:50:18,268 --> 00:50:20,478
how we continue to just honor,
844
00:50:20,479 --> 00:50:23,564
um, who she was as, as a mother
845
00:50:23,565 --> 00:50:26,235
and make sure this doesn't
happen for somebody else.
846
00:50:27,277 --> 00:50:29,737
Like, we can sit
and, you know, wait
847
00:50:29,738 --> 00:50:31,364
for somebody to sweep in,
848
00:50:31,365 --> 00:50:33,950
but it's an SOS situation
849
00:50:33,951 --> 00:50:35,701
and we have to save ourselves.
850
00:50:35,702 --> 00:50:36,495
Yeah.
851
00:50:36,496 --> 00:50:38,704
- I know that what I
want in my communities,
852
00:50:38,705 --> 00:50:42,083
in my birth communities,
from my clients is support.
853
00:50:42,084 --> 00:50:44,001
When I think of the
hospital climate,
854
00:50:44,002 --> 00:50:46,337
some people are
welcoming birth support
855
00:50:46,338 --> 00:50:48,381
and other hospitals are not.
856
00:50:48,382 --> 00:50:48,841
- Right.
857
00:50:48,842 --> 00:50:51,384
My belief is that,
you know, people need
858
00:50:51,385 --> 00:50:53,720
to have safe options
across the board.
859
00:50:54,221 --> 00:50:57,598
Safer hospitals or, like I always
say, look for alternatives.
860
00:50:57,599 --> 00:50:59,141
You know, you don't have
to birth at a hospital
861
00:50:59,142 --> 00:51:01,435
if that's not, you
know, if you're part
862
00:51:01,436 --> 00:51:03,771
of that 85 percent that's
low risk, you know.
863
00:51:03,772 --> 00:51:05,731
But we want to do
the best that we can
864
00:51:05,732 --> 00:51:08,818
to give people a
safe vaginal birth,
865
00:51:08,819 --> 00:51:10,736
if that is their desire,
in an environment
866
00:51:10,737 --> 00:51:12,780
where they're going
to be listened to,
867
00:51:12,781 --> 00:51:16,117
respected, valued, and,
you know, at peace.
868
00:51:16,118 --> 00:51:17,118
Yeah.
869
00:51:21,874 --> 00:51:23,754
Can I touch your
belly? Uh-huh.
870
00:51:23,792 --> 00:51:25,252
- How are you doing?
871
00:51:25,586 --> 00:51:27,045
Oh, Lily-bug.
872
00:51:27,504 --> 00:51:29,422
What's
going on in there?
873
00:51:29,423 --> 00:51:30,590
There's
a lot going on.
874
00:51:30,591 --> 00:51:32,551
Yeah.
875
00:51:32,926 --> 00:51:35,606
So this is what we're going to do.
We're going to try this exercise.
876
00:51:35,929 --> 00:51:36,929
- Okay.
877
00:51:37,055 --> 00:51:38,389
And this
is going to show
878
00:51:38,390 --> 00:51:40,099
what it looks like
879
00:51:40,100 --> 00:51:41,809
when you have a contraction,
880
00:51:41,810 --> 00:51:43,228
what a contraction does.
881
00:51:43,604 --> 00:51:44,645
Okay?
882
00:51:44,646 --> 00:51:47,773
So, this is your baby.
This is the uterus.
883
00:51:47,774 --> 00:51:49,494
You're going to put the
baby in your uterus.
884
00:51:50,068 --> 00:51:52,195
I don't know
what I would be doing
885
00:51:52,196 --> 00:51:53,572
without a doula right now.
886
00:51:54,531 --> 00:51:57,159
She's from Tulsa. She's Black.
887
00:51:58,827 --> 00:52:02,747
I have, like, a friend
who's educated in this
888
00:52:02,748 --> 00:52:04,832
that I talk to every two weeks.
889
00:52:04,833 --> 00:52:06,543
Keep contracting,
keep on going.
890
00:52:08,754 --> 00:52:10,213
I don't know if we
talked about this,
891
00:52:10,214 --> 00:52:12,924
but I would like to touch on
it, like what a normal birth is
892
00:52:12,925 --> 00:52:14,300
and what a normal
birth looks like.
893
00:52:14,301 --> 00:52:17,386
There's such a wide
range of what normal is.
894
00:52:17,387 --> 00:52:20,515
You can think of a normal
birth as like the train tracks
895
00:52:20,516 --> 00:52:23,226
and then your birth experience
as the train, alright?
896
00:52:23,227 --> 00:52:24,477
And then sometimes,
things happen.
897
00:52:24,478 --> 00:52:26,646
We may have to switch tracks
and go around or whatever,
898
00:52:26,647 --> 00:52:27,647
and that's okay.
899
00:52:28,732 --> 00:52:31,317
At first, when we did
the birth plan, I was like,
900
00:52:31,318 --> 00:52:34,028
"I'm just going to go to the
hospital, you know, the normal thing."
901
00:52:34,029 --> 00:52:37,115
And then we talk about, like,
all the choices or the options,
902
00:52:37,533 --> 00:52:40,701
and then I was like, "Maybe
a birth center is better."
903
00:52:40,702 --> 00:52:41,702
We on track.
904
00:52:45,499 --> 00:52:48,627
The main thing for me is
I do not want to have a C-section.
905
00:52:50,212 --> 00:52:53,423
Paul and I are entrepreneurs.
We generate our own income.
906
00:52:54,341 --> 00:52:57,093
I don't have a grandmother
that can come stay with us.
907
00:52:57,094 --> 00:53:00,097
We don't have the resources
for a night nurse.
908
00:53:00,514 --> 00:53:02,182
It says right
here. Okay.
909
00:53:02,808 --> 00:53:06,353
Having a major
surgery will impact
910
00:53:06,812 --> 00:53:10,607
our success as a new family
for the next 12 months.
911
00:53:17,906 --> 00:53:18,740
Hello?
912
00:53:18,741 --> 00:53:20,783
Hello.
913
00:53:20,784 --> 00:53:22,785
Felicia?
Nice to meet you.
914
00:53:22,786 --> 00:53:24,453
Nice to meet you. Paul.
915
00:53:24,454 --> 00:53:25,080
Paul.
916
00:53:25,081 --> 00:53:26,205
Nice to meet you.
917
00:53:26,206 --> 00:53:27,331
We've met
before, haven't we?
918
00:53:27,332 --> 00:53:28,374
Yeah.
Ashlee. Okay.
919
00:53:28,375 --> 00:53:29,168
Ashlee, okay.
920
00:53:29,169 --> 00:53:30,376
Nice to meet you.Yes.
921
00:53:30,377 --> 00:53:32,753
Well, I'm going to
give you guys your tour today.
922
00:53:32,754 --> 00:53:35,715
I'm trying to talk about the
risk versus benefits of hospital
923
00:53:35,716 --> 00:53:37,383
versus birth center
births, so...
924
00:53:37,384 --> 00:53:38,968
Perfect.
Alright. Okay.
925
00:53:38,969 --> 00:53:40,761
Well, let's go over this way.
926
00:53:40,762 --> 00:53:43,598
We have three birth suites back here,
and I'm going to show you the first one.
927
00:53:43,599 --> 00:53:44,933
This is the Gavin suite.
928
00:53:46,185 --> 00:53:48,103
When you come in in
labor, you get your room,
929
00:53:48,395 --> 00:53:50,313
um, we settle you
in, check you in,
930
00:53:50,314 --> 00:53:52,315
and then we just see
what feels good to you.
931
00:53:52,316 --> 00:53:54,525
Maybe you want to go for
a walk down at the park.
932
00:53:54,526 --> 00:53:56,152
Maybe you want to go to the
Y and walk on the track.
933
00:53:56,153 --> 00:53:57,612
Maybe you want to go to
the mall and walk around.
934
00:53:57,613 --> 00:53:59,822
Maybe you want to get in
the tub for a little bit.
935
00:53:59,823 --> 00:54:00,948
So it's really just up to you.
936
00:54:00,949 --> 00:54:02,992
And we just go along with
you and carry our Doppler
937
00:54:02,993 --> 00:54:05,494
and monitor baby and make
sure that you're doing okay,
938
00:54:05,495 --> 00:54:08,414
and baby's doing okay while you
work through your labor stuff.
939
00:54:08,415 --> 00:54:08,916
So...
940
00:54:09,249 --> 00:54:12,794
This is the Bella suite,
a little bougie in here.
941
00:54:13,045 --> 00:54:14,212
A little bougie.
942
00:54:14,213 --> 00:54:15,880
- Mom is like, yeah.
That's my girl.
943
00:54:15,881 --> 00:54:17,041
There you go, Felicia.
944
00:54:17,633 --> 00:54:19,133
- This is the room I designed.
945
00:54:19,134 --> 00:54:20,301
Oh wow.
- Yeah.
946
00:54:20,302 --> 00:54:21,427
It's pretty cool.
947
00:54:21,428 --> 00:54:22,428
- You're taking it all in?
948
00:54:22,429 --> 00:54:24,264
- I'm definitely taking it in.
949
00:54:25,015 --> 00:54:26,808
I haven't even gotten
in yet. Like...
950
00:54:27,726 --> 00:54:30,311
This is crazy but
amazing at the same time.
951
00:54:30,312 --> 00:54:31,896
Yeah. I'm
getting an understanding.
952
00:54:31,897 --> 00:54:33,064
- I'm going to try
to walk you through
953
00:54:33,065 --> 00:54:36,026
some of our medical things
that we have in place here.
954
00:54:36,735 --> 00:54:38,195
My kids call this
the scary cart.
955
00:54:39,112 --> 00:54:40,196
We are certified
nurse midwives here,
956
00:54:40,197 --> 00:54:41,614
so we do follow
the medical model
957
00:54:41,615 --> 00:54:44,158
in that we have a suture
kit for your bottom.
958
00:54:44,159 --> 00:54:46,285
And I will tell you, we
throw more of these away
959
00:54:46,286 --> 00:54:48,539
because they expire
than we use them.
960
00:54:48,914 --> 00:54:50,540
And the reason for
that is we give you
961
00:54:50,541 --> 00:54:52,500
the most important gift
as a first-time mom.
962
00:54:52,501 --> 00:54:56,004
And that is time, time to be
in labor, time to stretch.
963
00:54:56,463 --> 00:54:58,089
But if we need to repair
your bottom afterwards,
964
00:54:58,090 --> 00:54:59,173
we can do that.
965
00:54:59,174 --> 00:55:00,550
And then the medication box.
966
00:55:00,551 --> 00:55:02,718
We don't do inductions
of labor here,
967
00:55:02,719 --> 00:55:05,763
but we do have Pitocin and a
couple of other medications
968
00:55:05,764 --> 00:55:06,723
that will help with hemorrhaging
969
00:55:06,724 --> 00:55:08,524
if you were to hemorrhage
after you delivered.
970
00:55:09,434 --> 00:55:11,811
- Paul's been working a lot.
I've been researching more.
971
00:55:11,812 --> 00:55:13,312
Like, I'm really
educating myself,
972
00:55:13,313 --> 00:55:16,816
and I'm like, I'm just trying
to have this baby safely.
973
00:55:16,817 --> 00:55:18,025
- Let me just, let me break down
974
00:55:18,026 --> 00:55:20,111
just a few of the
statistics for you, okay.
975
00:55:20,112 --> 00:55:24,031
So with birth centers, the
C-section rate's about six percent.
976
00:55:24,032 --> 00:55:27,952
In the hospital, the national
average is around 30, 33 percent.
977
00:55:27,953 --> 00:55:31,581
But we don't value a vaginal
delivery in this setting
978
00:55:31,582 --> 00:55:32,832
over your safety.
979
00:55:32,833 --> 00:55:33,417
Okay.
980
00:55:33,418 --> 00:55:35,043
I've had four C-sections.
981
00:55:35,836 --> 00:55:38,505
Medically, I wasn't able
to have a vaginal birth.
982
00:55:38,922 --> 00:55:40,841
- I'm, like, totally aware
983
00:55:41,300 --> 00:55:43,050
of how fortunate
984
00:55:43,051 --> 00:55:45,928
we are to have this option
this close to where we live.
985
00:55:45,929 --> 00:55:48,056
I know people drive
hours here too.
986
00:55:48,849 --> 00:55:50,141
I have one
family come over
987
00:55:50,142 --> 00:55:53,144
from almost four hours
away in Arkansas.
988
00:55:53,145 --> 00:55:55,480
They got an Airbnb and stayed
989
00:55:55,898 --> 00:55:59,817
the last couple weeks of the
pregnancy with their family
990
00:55:59,818 --> 00:56:01,904
so that they could enjoy
birth center care here.
991
00:56:02,362 --> 00:56:05,907
- How did you, like,
guys decide to open this?
992
00:56:05,908 --> 00:56:08,284
Like, it's like
against the system.
993
00:56:08,285 --> 00:56:09,077
Yeah.
994
00:56:09,078 --> 00:56:10,828
It was incredibly difficult,
995
00:56:10,829 --> 00:56:14,583
but this is a calling
for us to do this.
996
00:56:16,502 --> 00:56:19,045
The unfortunate thing
is they will not, insurance-wise,
997
00:56:19,046 --> 00:56:21,672
will not cover any of our care.
998
00:56:21,673 --> 00:56:24,634
Uh, so it would be a sole
out-of-pocket expense
999
00:56:24,635 --> 00:56:25,927
for you to do that.
1000
00:56:25,928 --> 00:56:26,595
Okay.
1001
00:56:26,596 --> 00:56:28,429
Now, since
you're coming to us late,
1002
00:56:28,430 --> 00:56:30,307
the total for us would be 3,000.
1003
00:56:31,350 --> 00:56:32,391
- That's not bad.
1004
00:56:36,813 --> 00:56:38,690
I mean, I'm
pretty much sold.
1005
00:56:40,484 --> 00:56:44,737
It's nothing I didn't
really... see out of place
1006
00:56:44,738 --> 00:56:46,114
or anything like that.
1007
00:56:48,534 --> 00:56:51,202
I feel
like switching over,
1008
00:56:51,203 --> 00:56:54,080
I don't really have to
worry about anything.
1009
00:56:54,081 --> 00:56:56,582
Like, I'm more controlled on
knowing what's going to happen
1010
00:56:56,583 --> 00:56:59,378
instead of whatever's going
on in that hospital that day.
1011
00:57:00,254 --> 00:57:02,964
My grandmother had three
children successfully.
1012
00:57:02,965 --> 00:57:04,925
My dad was the only one
born in the hospital.
1013
00:57:05,801 --> 00:57:07,481
- I don't think it
matters which one it is.
1014
00:57:07,678 --> 00:57:09,118
I'm going to be
right there with you.
1015
00:57:09,555 --> 00:57:11,807
And I have nine
nieces and nephews.
1016
00:57:12,391 --> 00:57:16,645
So I know about, like,
children and birthing.
1017
00:57:19,565 --> 00:57:22,150
- Let me tell you,
Mr. I Know Everything.
1018
00:57:23,193 --> 00:57:26,070
There's two things you
don't know and you can't do.
1019
00:57:26,071 --> 00:57:27,655
- How to be a woman
and how to have a baby.
1020
00:57:30,075 --> 00:57:32,202
Yeah. Yeah, you right.
1021
00:57:34,872 --> 00:57:38,542
- Midwives existed in all nations
and cultures of the earth.
1022
00:57:40,085 --> 00:57:42,963
Midwives knew the
feminine secrets.
1023
00:57:43,881 --> 00:57:47,091
Midwives were
abortion practitioners
1024
00:57:47,092 --> 00:57:49,511
since the beginning of time,
1025
00:57:49,803 --> 00:57:52,014
helping women control
their fertility
1026
00:57:52,431 --> 00:57:54,892
and control the
use of their wombs.
1027
00:57:55,976 --> 00:57:57,060
That's a lot of power.
1028
00:57:58,645 --> 00:58:00,522
In spaces where
women have power,
1029
00:58:01,106 --> 00:58:03,233
some men have a problem with it.
1030
00:58:04,401 --> 00:58:08,322
In Europe, the Catholic
church wants more control
1031
00:58:08,739 --> 00:58:11,909
of childbearing women
and their choices.
1032
00:58:13,452 --> 00:58:15,620
It's the church
that first demands
1033
00:58:15,621 --> 00:58:17,581
that men be a part
of childbirth.
1034
00:58:19,499 --> 00:58:21,251
Enter the male midwife,
1035
00:58:21,710 --> 00:58:26,381
who then later on segues and
becomes the OB/GYN provider.
1036
00:58:27,883 --> 00:58:32,303
And priests, they're hearing
these reports that women scream
1037
00:58:32,304 --> 00:58:35,515
and women yell and they
become animalistic.
1038
00:58:35,516 --> 00:58:39,644
They, they become this other
thing when they're in childbirth,
1039
00:58:39,645 --> 00:58:42,981
that has not been
seen before by men.
1040
00:58:44,358 --> 00:58:47,151
We of course have the
scripture in the Bible
1041
00:58:47,152 --> 00:58:50,322
and the Lord's prayer,
deliver us from evil.
1042
00:58:51,323 --> 00:58:53,699
There becomes this
identification
1043
00:58:53,700 --> 00:58:55,577
with being delivered from evil.
1044
00:58:56,119 --> 00:58:59,915
You start to see this language
that women need to be delivered.
1045
00:59:00,415 --> 00:59:01,834
They need to be delivered.
1046
00:59:02,751 --> 00:59:06,213
And we've carried
that into modern day.
1047
00:59:08,674 --> 00:59:10,801
When we get to United
States history,
1048
00:59:11,301 --> 00:59:13,720
when enslaved people come here,
1049
00:59:14,221 --> 00:59:15,681
midwives come with them.
1050
00:59:16,390 --> 00:59:19,309
Midwives are on
every plantation,
1051
00:59:20,060 --> 00:59:24,731
not just caring for
enslaved Black people.
1052
00:59:25,357 --> 00:59:27,276
They were caring for everybody.
1053
00:59:28,068 --> 00:59:30,444
When the mistress
of the plantation
1054
00:59:30,445 --> 00:59:33,197
and her daughters and white
women are having babies,
1055
00:59:33,198 --> 00:59:36,159
they're being attended
by Black midwives too.
1056
00:59:39,037 --> 00:59:40,414
Midwives become
1057
00:59:40,956 --> 00:59:44,585
some of the most valued
enslaved persons.
1058
00:59:47,546 --> 00:59:51,508
George Washington himself
actually paid his midwife.
1059
00:59:53,969 --> 00:59:58,347
She was so valuable because
he wanted to make sure
1060
00:59:58,348 --> 01:00:01,851
that generations and
generations of enslaved beings
1061
01:00:01,852 --> 01:00:03,979
made it earth-side safely.
1062
01:00:07,691 --> 01:00:11,361
After slavery, we still
have community midwives.
1063
01:00:13,447 --> 01:00:17,159
Over time, these
powerful white men,
1064
01:00:17,451 --> 01:00:22,664
this new thing called an
OB/GYN physician decide
1065
01:00:23,207 --> 01:00:24,540
we are going to deem
1066
01:00:24,541 --> 01:00:27,711
that you should come to
the hospital to give birth.
1067
01:00:30,255 --> 01:00:33,841
White male physicians and
white public health nurses
1068
01:00:33,842 --> 01:00:35,176
bond together
1069
01:00:35,177 --> 01:00:38,513
and create a whole lot
of marketing campaigns
1070
01:00:38,514 --> 01:00:40,849
that say Black
midwives are dirty.
1071
01:00:41,350 --> 01:00:44,228
They're unskilled.
They're untrained.
1072
01:00:46,563 --> 01:00:50,858
White public health nurses
would actually run around
1073
01:00:50,859 --> 01:00:53,737
and hunt to find out
where the midwives were,
1074
01:00:57,115 --> 01:01:00,285
forcing them to go to health
departments and turn in their license,
1075
01:01:02,204 --> 01:01:05,748
saying to them, "If
you catch another baby,
1076
01:01:05,749 --> 01:01:08,210
I'll report you, and
you'll go to jail."
1077
01:01:09,461 --> 01:01:14,383
And midwifery becomes a
book knowledge profession.
1078
01:01:15,342 --> 01:01:16,551
You become a nurse,
1079
01:01:16,552 --> 01:01:19,136
and then you take
this extra training
1080
01:01:19,137 --> 01:01:22,599
to work in concert
with the doctor.
1081
01:01:23,475 --> 01:01:27,270
It is not a profession
that you grow into
1082
01:01:27,271 --> 01:01:29,231
through apprenticeship anymore.
1083
01:01:30,941 --> 01:01:35,028
So white women took
over this profession.
1084
01:01:35,445 --> 01:01:38,281
Right now, 87 percent
of all midwives
1085
01:01:38,282 --> 01:01:41,243
certified in the United
States of America are white.
1086
01:01:42,536 --> 01:01:45,580
Hi, Georgette, hi.
1087
01:01:45,581 --> 01:01:48,499
I'm very involved with
students around the nation,
1088
01:01:48,500 --> 01:01:50,002
especially here in New York.
1089
01:01:51,211 --> 01:01:53,589
We need more midwives
in the space.
1090
01:01:54,131 --> 01:01:55,965
Cecilia caught the twins,
1091
01:01:55,966 --> 01:01:57,216
Oh my goodness.
1092
01:01:57,217 --> 01:01:58,926
- First twins, she caught.
1093
01:01:58,927 --> 01:02:02,013
The United States has to
adopt the same modality
1094
01:02:02,014 --> 01:02:05,349
as all other countries, and
midwives have to be central
1095
01:02:05,350 --> 01:02:07,310
to women's healthcare.
1096
01:02:07,311 --> 01:02:09,229
Good night.
Alright. Night-night.
1097
01:02:11,607 --> 01:02:13,900
Midwifery care
supports Black women
1098
01:02:13,901 --> 01:02:17,988
because when it's done well,
it's anti-traumatic care.
1099
01:02:19,823 --> 01:02:23,117
It is a way to
reconstruct the narrative
1100
01:02:23,118 --> 01:02:24,952
that childbirth does not have
1101
01:02:24,953 --> 01:02:28,957
to be this process that's laced
1102
01:02:29,291 --> 01:02:31,376
in abuse.
1103
01:02:44,389 --> 01:02:46,641
- Good job.
- That felt good. Yeah.
1104
01:02:46,642 --> 01:02:47,642
Good job.
1105
01:02:51,230 --> 01:02:54,065
- Let's see if I can eat
one more before one comes.
1106
01:02:54,066 --> 01:02:56,275
When the contraction
comes, I don't want to eat
1107
01:02:56,276 --> 01:02:57,986
because I feel like
I'm going to choke
1108
01:02:59,029 --> 01:03:01,240
trying to keep myself together.
1109
01:03:34,857 --> 01:03:36,524
- What you smiling about?
1110
01:03:39,528 --> 01:03:42,197
take care
of you while I'm asleep, huh?
1111
01:03:49,955 --> 01:03:51,623
122 over 70.
1112
01:03:52,457 --> 01:03:53,750
Rocking it out, mama.
1113
01:03:56,503 --> 01:03:59,715
- Ohhh!
1114
01:04:04,761 --> 01:04:06,470
I think it's deeper now.
1115
01:04:06,471 --> 01:04:07,514
Mm-hmm.
1116
01:04:27,117 --> 01:04:28,242
- You got it.
1117
01:04:36,001 --> 01:04:37,126
- Is she okay?
1118
01:04:37,127 --> 01:04:39,213
She is just
perfectly content.
1119
01:04:39,796 --> 01:04:42,256
- She's like right down
here where my hand is.
1120
01:04:42,257 --> 01:04:43,799
Ohh.
1121
01:04:43,800 --> 01:04:46,094
- So, are we ready? Not yet.
1122
01:04:48,972 --> 01:04:50,474
Mmm.
1123
01:05:08,825 --> 01:05:09,993
You're doing amazing.
1124
01:05:10,494 --> 01:05:11,787
You're almost there.
1125
01:05:18,669 --> 01:05:20,420
- It's the hardest
thing I ever did.
1126
01:05:21,171 --> 01:05:22,797
Okay. Here comes one.
1127
01:05:22,798 --> 01:05:23,840
- You want the pillow?
1128
01:05:23,841 --> 01:05:24,841
You got this.
1129
01:05:26,343 --> 01:05:29,011
- Yeah? Yeah.
1130
01:05:33,767 --> 01:05:34,892
Mm-hmm.
1131
01:05:34,893 --> 01:05:36,773
There you go, there
you go, there you go.
1132
01:05:37,729 --> 01:05:38,897
So good.
1133
01:05:44,403 --> 01:05:47,030
Breathe it out. Good.
1134
01:05:47,698 --> 01:05:49,240
- Take your time.
Reach down.
1135
01:05:49,241 --> 01:05:51,034
Reach down. Open your eyes.
1136
01:05:51,451 --> 01:05:52,571
Want to reach down and help?
1137
01:05:54,204 --> 01:05:55,289
- No.
1138
01:05:56,582 --> 01:05:57,624
He can help.
1139
01:05:58,000 --> 01:05:59,125
- There we go.
1140
01:06:03,380 --> 01:06:06,632
You did it.
Woo! That's your baby.
1141
01:06:06,633 --> 01:06:08,135
Oh my god.
1142
01:06:09,136 --> 01:06:10,720
Hey, baby.
Say hi, mommy.
1143
01:06:10,721 --> 01:06:14,558
Hi. Hey. Hey.
1144
01:06:20,230 --> 01:06:23,275
Hi.
Hi, sweetheart.
1145
01:06:23,567 --> 01:06:24,985
You did it.
1146
01:06:25,277 --> 01:06:26,611
Baby, she's here.
1147
01:06:26,612 --> 01:06:27,862
Yeah, she's here, baby.
1148
01:06:27,863 --> 01:06:29,155
You did it.
Thank you.
1149
01:06:29,156 --> 01:06:31,074
- Thank you.
1150
01:06:31,658 --> 01:06:32,826
Thank you.
1151
01:06:33,827 --> 01:06:34,827
Thank you.
1152
01:06:34,828 --> 01:06:36,330
- Don't cry.
1153
01:06:37,164 --> 01:06:38,873
I know, sweetheart.
1154
01:06:38,874 --> 01:06:40,792
Happy birthday.
1155
01:06:41,502 --> 01:06:42,711
There's your mama.
1156
01:06:44,796 --> 01:06:48,466
You are beautiful.
All that hair.
1157
01:06:48,467 --> 01:06:49,927
I know.
1158
01:06:50,385 --> 01:06:51,845
I know.
1159
01:06:52,679 --> 01:06:55,516
- I can't believe this is real.
1160
01:06:56,850 --> 01:06:58,018
Thank you.
1161
01:06:58,852 --> 01:07:00,854
She here,
baby. She is here.
1162
01:07:01,605 --> 01:07:03,315
- She's here and beautiful.
1163
01:07:19,581 --> 01:07:21,458
- Oh my goodness.
1164
01:07:23,126 --> 01:07:25,462
Oh wow. This is the space
1165
01:07:25,796 --> 01:07:26,879
I'm excited.
1166
01:07:26,880 --> 01:07:28,130
Wow.
1167
01:07:28,131 --> 01:07:29,590
- So, we're thinking
about making
1168
01:07:29,591 --> 01:07:32,718
the first two floors
the birth center
1169
01:07:32,719 --> 01:07:34,346
and then the third floor,
1170
01:07:34,805 --> 01:07:37,431
the reception and
a couple exam rooms
1171
01:07:37,432 --> 01:07:39,267
and a couple wellness spots.
1172
01:07:39,268 --> 01:07:41,227
And then in that corner,
1173
01:07:41,228 --> 01:07:43,521
that's going to be a
small community room
1174
01:07:43,522 --> 01:07:46,190
where we can have, um,
smaller classes happen.
1175
01:07:46,191 --> 01:07:48,911
We're going to bring a birthing
center over here to the Bronx.
1176
01:07:49,319 --> 01:07:52,780
We need it. We have the highest
Cesarean rate in this borough.
1177
01:07:52,781 --> 01:07:53,991
- It's pretty big.
1178
01:07:54,867 --> 01:07:55,909
Ready?
1179
01:07:57,411 --> 01:07:58,328
Action.
1180
01:07:58,329 --> 01:08:01,497
- We are partnering up to bring
a birthing center to the Bronx,
1181
01:08:01,498 --> 01:08:03,749
to serve our community,
to serve our people.
1182
01:08:03,750 --> 01:08:07,378
We need to stop working for a system
that is not going to work for us.
1183
01:08:07,379 --> 01:08:09,130
And we need to take
care of our communities.
1184
01:08:09,131 --> 01:08:10,131
We need to step up.
1185
01:08:10,132 --> 01:08:13,426
- Within the entire state of
more than 19 million people,
1186
01:08:13,427 --> 01:08:16,387
there are only
three birth centers.
1187
01:08:16,388 --> 01:08:17,805
This needs to change.
1188
01:08:17,806 --> 01:08:22,643
Birthing centers are a happy
medium of a hospital birth,
1189
01:08:22,644 --> 01:08:26,063
a very necessary
option, and home birth,
1190
01:08:26,064 --> 01:08:29,150
which is a wonderful option,
but not for everybody.
1191
01:08:29,151 --> 01:08:30,569
- Even if you can't donate,
1192
01:08:30,986 --> 01:08:33,279
figure out what you can do
to play your part to help us.
1193
01:08:33,280 --> 01:08:35,239
Thank you.
- We deserve a birthing center.
1194
01:08:35,240 --> 01:08:37,116
- We deserve a birthing center.
- We deserve birth centers.
1195
01:08:37,117 --> 01:08:38,409
Yes.
- Yes.
1196
01:08:38,410 --> 01:08:40,037
Yes. Yes.
1197
01:08:45,626 --> 01:08:47,002
Hello?Hey.
1198
01:08:47,294 --> 01:08:49,462
How are you, man?
Doing well, doing well, Neel.
1199
01:08:49,463 --> 01:08:50,505
How are you?
It's good to see you.
1200
01:08:50,506 --> 01:08:51,548
Good to see you.
1201
01:08:51,965 --> 01:08:53,299
How was the trip?
Oh, brother.
1202
01:08:53,300 --> 01:08:55,092
It was, it wasn't
bad. It wasn't bad.
1203
01:08:55,093 --> 01:08:57,678
- We so appreciate
you, um, coming up
1204
01:08:57,679 --> 01:09:00,057
and then spend time
with our students today.
1205
01:09:00,432 --> 01:09:01,432
- Definitely.
1206
01:09:01,683 --> 01:09:04,561
- I couldn't imagine when we
talked last year that we'd be here.
1207
01:09:05,020 --> 01:09:06,062
- Yeah.
1208
01:09:06,063 --> 01:09:06,939
- Doing this.
- Me neither.
1209
01:09:06,940 --> 01:09:09,607
I was just thinking about
that, like how surreal it is.
1210
01:09:09,608 --> 01:09:12,068
You know, that's just what
moving forward does, you know.
1211
01:09:12,069 --> 01:09:14,862
You just got to keep pushing
forward, and doors open up.
1212
01:09:14,863 --> 01:09:15,863
- Yeah.
1213
01:09:28,210 --> 01:09:30,754
Amber Rose Isaac
was the love of my life.
1214
01:09:32,297 --> 01:09:37,426
She passed away due to an
unscheduled emergency C-section
1215
01:09:37,427 --> 01:09:40,889
that stemmed from medical negligence
throughout her entire pregnancy.
1216
01:09:42,266 --> 01:09:45,518
After finding out all this information
and doing so much studying,
1217
01:09:45,519 --> 01:09:47,228
I found out that Amber
was as good as dead
1218
01:09:47,229 --> 01:09:48,829
as soon as she walked
into that hospital.
1219
01:09:50,357 --> 01:09:53,068
So we need to make sure that this
doesn't happen to anyone else.
1220
01:09:54,778 --> 01:09:57,071
In 2018, I watched Amber...
1221
01:09:57,072 --> 01:09:59,199
What people like
Bruce have taught me
1222
01:10:00,450 --> 01:10:03,744
is that affirming
a person's dignity,
1223
01:10:03,745 --> 01:10:06,330
seeing them, hearing them is
the way that you make them safe.
1224
01:10:06,331 --> 01:10:07,416
It's not a luxury.
1225
01:10:08,834 --> 01:10:10,878
Thank you so much.
1226
01:10:11,962 --> 01:10:13,963
I actually remember
being on Twitter,
1227
01:10:13,964 --> 01:10:15,923
hearing about Amber Rose.
1228
01:10:15,924 --> 01:10:18,509
And so it is so
surreal to me right now
1229
01:10:18,510 --> 01:10:21,762
to be sitting next to you,
to hear you tell your story,
1230
01:10:21,763 --> 01:10:23,723
to capture the things that
1231
01:10:23,724 --> 01:10:27,019
a news article will
never be able to capture.
1232
01:10:27,352 --> 01:10:28,561
This fight is not over.
1233
01:10:28,562 --> 01:10:30,479
And there are times,
because this is,
1234
01:10:30,480 --> 01:10:32,523
it feels like it's
so in my face,
1235
01:10:32,524 --> 01:10:34,400
because this is the work
that I'm interested,
1236
01:10:34,401 --> 01:10:35,776
"Oh, enough people
know about this."
1237
01:10:35,777 --> 01:10:37,069
But it's not enough, right?
1238
01:10:37,070 --> 01:10:40,364
Because too many people
are still dying from this.
1239
01:10:40,365 --> 01:10:43,951
Right? There will still be another,
which is one too many already.
1240
01:10:43,952 --> 01:10:47,371
- As a white provider, I'm
going to have a blind spot
1241
01:10:47,372 --> 01:10:50,416
that is, I don't have
any lived experience
1242
01:10:50,417 --> 01:10:52,502
with racism in this way.
1243
01:10:52,503 --> 01:10:57,048
And it's really, really easy
to become part of the problem
1244
01:10:57,049 --> 01:11:01,802
if you're not actively
working towards understanding
1245
01:11:01,803 --> 01:11:03,430
these types of stories.
1246
01:11:04,056 --> 01:11:07,058
I know you say that
this shouldn't ever happen again,
1247
01:11:07,059 --> 01:11:09,394
but the fact is it will.
1248
01:11:09,686 --> 01:11:14,357
Um, and so I think it's important
to have spaces of activism
1249
01:11:14,358 --> 01:11:17,027
and healing to be
prepared for that.
1250
01:11:18,195 --> 01:11:21,323
- You know, we're not going
to be able to save everyone,
1251
01:11:21,657 --> 01:11:24,535
but with Black
lives, Black women,
1252
01:11:25,160 --> 01:11:29,498
it's believed that over 60 percent
of these deaths were preventable.
1253
01:11:29,915 --> 01:11:32,167
That's more than half
we're talking about.
1254
01:11:32,876 --> 01:11:34,878
That sounds like a choice to me.
1255
01:11:35,629 --> 01:11:37,840
That sounds like a system.
1256
01:11:39,424 --> 01:11:41,343
And if you're here today,
1257
01:11:41,844 --> 01:11:45,596
that shows me that you want
to reimagine the system.
1258
01:11:45,597 --> 01:11:47,975
So I appreciate
everyone being here.
1259
01:12:07,953 --> 01:12:08,996
- Alright.
1260
01:12:16,044 --> 01:12:19,463
I'm down here in
Houston to meet a father
1261
01:12:19,464 --> 01:12:21,465
I've never met before.
1262
01:12:21,466 --> 01:12:25,387
But who I am definitely
connected to.
1263
01:12:27,514 --> 01:12:29,390
After I created a
piece for Amber,
1264
01:12:29,391 --> 01:12:31,310
I created a piece
for another woman,
1265
01:12:32,269 --> 01:12:36,273
and it just started
to become like, um,
1266
01:12:37,524 --> 01:12:38,774
what I was doing.
1267
01:12:41,904 --> 01:12:44,739
Creating pieces
for other families
1268
01:12:44,740 --> 01:12:46,949
who have lost their daughters,
1269
01:12:46,950 --> 01:12:49,369
their mothers, their partners.
1270
01:12:50,412 --> 01:12:52,247
To keep their stories going.
1271
01:12:54,750 --> 01:12:58,670
I've started to meet more families
than I ever could have imagined,
1272
01:12:59,963 --> 01:13:01,965
all over the country,
1273
01:13:02,257 --> 01:13:04,843
and build a community
that is needed.
1274
01:13:10,015 --> 01:13:11,099
What's good, bro?
1275
01:13:14,144 --> 01:13:16,062
Man, I'm happy to
be out here, man.
1276
01:13:16,063 --> 01:13:17,898
Yeah.
- Good to see you.
1277
01:13:20,901 --> 01:13:23,320
After Maria had the
baby in the hospital,
1278
01:13:23,737 --> 01:13:26,114
they came and told us,
hey, we had to, you know,
1279
01:13:26,615 --> 01:13:28,784
it's time to go, you
know, time to check out.
1280
01:13:29,368 --> 01:13:31,787
But, you know, uh,
1281
01:13:32,955 --> 01:13:35,207
she's not even able to walk.
1282
01:13:35,707 --> 01:13:40,211
Maybe we can, you know, extend
this somehow, whatever, you know?
1283
01:13:40,212 --> 01:13:42,214
Can she get more help?
1284
01:13:42,714 --> 01:13:46,635
But, you know, when the insurance
don't, don't pay for it...
1285
01:13:47,302 --> 01:13:49,971
They don't care
about you that much.
1286
01:13:49,972 --> 01:13:51,973
- Somebody hit me up on IG,
1287
01:13:51,974 --> 01:13:54,600
and they told me, you know,
about you and your story
1288
01:13:54,601 --> 01:13:56,435
and, you know, Maria.
1289
01:13:56,436 --> 01:13:59,063
I felt compelled, like
I got to speak to you
1290
01:13:59,064 --> 01:14:01,232
to let you know,
like, you know, like,
1291
01:14:01,233 --> 01:14:03,234
I don't know you, you know,
1292
01:14:03,235 --> 01:14:05,069
but I know how you feel, man.
1293
01:14:05,070 --> 01:14:06,362
Like, I know what
you're going through.
1294
01:14:06,363 --> 01:14:09,031
I know, I know the
pain. I know what it is.
1295
01:14:09,032 --> 01:14:10,032
Mm-hmm.
1296
01:14:10,033 --> 01:14:12,202
With that said, I
want to give you this.
1297
01:14:12,744 --> 01:14:16,706
I'm so happy, man, that I
was able to come out here
1298
01:14:16,707 --> 01:14:20,711
and, and give it
to you first hand.
1299
01:14:33,515 --> 01:14:34,682
Oh, man.
1300
01:14:34,683 --> 01:14:38,853
- I know that Shamony and Maria
are up there wherever they are.
1301
01:14:38,854 --> 01:14:41,273
They're probably in the room
right now with us, honestly.
1302
01:14:41,565 --> 01:14:43,482
But, you know, they connecting.
1303
01:14:43,483 --> 01:14:46,361
You know, they making stuff
happen for both of us, man.
1304
01:14:53,660 --> 01:14:56,287
Small, something
small I could do, man.
1305
01:14:56,288 --> 01:14:59,041
It's the very least I
could do for you, bro.
1306
01:14:59,625 --> 01:15:01,542
Appreciate you, man.
- I appreciate this, bro.
1307
01:15:01,543 --> 01:15:04,421
No doubt. No doubt.
1308
01:15:06,298 --> 01:15:07,299
- Yeah. It's dope.
1309
01:15:16,850 --> 01:15:18,977
So, on the
count of three,
1310
01:15:20,187 --> 01:15:21,939
we going to get this started.
1311
01:15:22,940 --> 01:15:26,359
One, two, three.
1312
01:15:46,338 --> 01:15:47,172
Alright.
1313
01:15:52,010 --> 01:15:54,471
Here, wait a
minute. Who wants some?
1314
01:15:54,930 --> 01:15:58,224
Um, Charles? Open your mouth,
Charles. That-that-that's okay.
1315
01:15:58,225 --> 01:16:00,226
Bruce? Where's Elias?
1316
01:16:00,227 --> 01:16:01,854
Let him open his mouth.
1317
01:16:05,107 --> 01:16:06,357
Now, I want
to say thank y'all.
1318
01:16:06,358 --> 01:16:08,318
I love y'all. We love y'all.
1319
01:16:10,320 --> 01:16:12,072
This is a very...
1320
01:16:12,656 --> 01:16:15,116
It's been a very
emotionally driven
1321
01:16:15,117 --> 01:16:18,286
and a very emotional
rollercoaster for me,
1322
01:16:18,287 --> 01:16:21,289
especially this last
couple of hours,
1323
01:16:21,290 --> 01:16:23,791
but, you know, specifically
these last couple of days.
1324
01:16:23,792 --> 01:16:28,045
And, um, I didn't know how I
was going to get through it.
1325
01:16:28,046 --> 01:16:33,177
And the anxiety of me thinking about
trying to get through it by myself
1326
01:16:33,802 --> 01:16:37,471
is... it's enough to
kill somebody, you know.
1327
01:16:37,472 --> 01:16:42,059
But the fact that I have
all of you as support,
1328
01:16:42,060 --> 01:16:46,147
it makes it so much easier to put
and keep a smile on my face, man.
1329
01:16:46,148 --> 01:16:49,567
So, thank y'all again. I
love y'all. We love y'all.
1330
01:16:49,568 --> 01:16:50,444
Take care.
1331
01:16:50,445 --> 01:16:51,695
Bye.
- Peace
1332
01:16:59,578 --> 01:17:02,706
Ahhh, ya got me!
1333
01:17:11,924 --> 01:17:14,509
- Let's do our little ritual.
1334
01:17:18,722 --> 01:17:21,141
Now I'm starting to
feel the butterflies.
1335
01:17:21,725 --> 01:17:22,975
Let your hands be the hands.
1336
01:17:22,976 --> 01:17:24,311
- Ase.
- Mm-hmm.
1337
01:17:24,937 --> 01:17:27,022
- This one is purity.
1338
01:17:27,523 --> 01:17:28,690
Your mantra. Yeah.
1339
01:17:29,149 --> 01:17:30,358
- I act from pure intentions.
1340
01:17:30,359 --> 01:17:31,359
- Yes.
1341
01:17:31,360 --> 01:17:33,987
So, for today,
it's not about me.
1342
01:17:34,363 --> 01:17:36,739
So I'm going to... I'm
getting so emotional.
1343
01:17:36,740 --> 01:17:37,366
- That's okay.
1344
01:17:37,367 --> 01:17:38,866
- Just moving myself
out of the way
1345
01:17:38,867 --> 01:17:40,284
so Shamony can speak through me
1346
01:17:40,285 --> 01:17:41,994
so that women can live. So...
1347
01:17:41,995 --> 01:17:45,540
And then anybody that does not
know about this, um, epidemic,
1348
01:17:45,541 --> 01:17:46,999
not the pandemic,
1349
01:17:47,000 --> 01:17:50,838
but the epidemic of maternal
mortality and morbidity
1350
01:17:51,296 --> 01:17:54,882
will be, um, able to receive
that and walk away with knowledge
1351
01:17:54,883 --> 01:17:57,260
and then also
prayerfully some action.
1352
01:17:57,261 --> 01:17:58,679
You ready? Mm-hmm.
1353
01:17:59,847 --> 01:18:01,139
- Alright, here we go.
1354
01:18:06,144 --> 01:18:07,562
How are you?
I'm good.
1355
01:18:07,563 --> 01:18:08,883
Pretty
good this morning.
1356
01:18:26,206 --> 01:18:27,332
Our next speaker
1357
01:18:28,625 --> 01:18:31,003
is a licensed clinician,
author, healer,
1358
01:18:32,379 --> 01:18:37,050
spiritual leader, and a reproductive
justice advocate and activist.
1359
01:18:37,718 --> 01:18:40,846
Shawnee Benton-Gibson.
1360
01:18:51,815 --> 01:18:53,358
- Black lives matter,
1361
01:18:53,734 --> 01:18:57,195
but Black wombs
create Black lives.
1362
01:18:57,196 --> 01:19:00,407
And when we forget that,
we forget our humanity.
1363
01:19:00,908 --> 01:19:03,618
We want to make sure
that our grandbabies,
1364
01:19:03,619 --> 01:19:06,370
our children have
mothers to raise them.
1365
01:19:06,371 --> 01:19:09,416
And that fathers are not left
to figure it out on their own.
1366
01:19:09,708 --> 01:19:11,043
We must stop this.
1367
01:19:11,335 --> 01:19:14,046
Black lives matter because
Black wombs matter.
1368
01:19:14,421 --> 01:19:16,714
Black lives matter because
Black wombs matter.
1369
01:19:16,715 --> 01:19:19,091
Black lives matter because
Black wombs matter,
1370
01:19:19,092 --> 01:19:21,135
and a Black womb created you.
1371
01:19:29,603 --> 01:19:31,562
I want white supremacy
to get off the necks
1372
01:19:31,563 --> 01:19:32,689
of women and their wombs.
1373
01:19:33,398 --> 01:19:35,359
This momentum is like a wave.
1374
01:19:36,109 --> 01:19:39,654
We keep showing up. We're
not letting the pain stop us.
1375
01:19:39,655 --> 01:19:43,824
We are holding people who have
the most power accountable
1376
01:19:43,825 --> 01:19:44,868
for how they use it.
1377
01:19:46,370 --> 01:19:48,913
Our maternal
health community
1378
01:19:48,914 --> 01:19:52,166
is really pushing for
change on Capitol Hill,
1379
01:19:52,167 --> 01:19:54,919
trying to bring about
different legislation
1380
01:19:54,920 --> 01:19:57,004
in order to make
sure that women have
1381
01:19:57,005 --> 01:19:59,341
the care that
they're supposed to.
1382
01:20:01,510 --> 01:20:03,678
- I can't let Amber
be another statistic.
1383
01:20:03,679 --> 01:20:05,179
I'm making people aware
1384
01:20:05,180 --> 01:20:07,056
of what's going on
in these systems.
1385
01:20:07,057 --> 01:20:09,517
I planned on spending
a lifetime with Amber.
1386
01:20:09,518 --> 01:20:10,769
I wanted to give her my life.
1387
01:20:11,728 --> 01:20:13,355
This way, I'm still going to.
1388
01:20:13,981 --> 01:20:18,026
Amber Rose Isaac. We
hear you, we see you.
1389
01:20:18,735 --> 01:20:22,823
Shamony Gibson. We
hear you, we see you.
1390
01:20:24,283 --> 01:20:25,783
Kira Johnson,
1391
01:20:25,784 --> 01:20:28,412
we hear you, we see you.
1392
01:20:28,954 --> 01:20:30,246
We're
taking a closer look
1393
01:20:30,247 --> 01:20:32,415
at the maternal mortality
rate in the United States.
1394
01:20:32,416 --> 01:20:34,167
- This issue of
maternal health...
1395
01:20:34,168 --> 01:20:36,210
- I introduced a bill called
1396
01:20:36,211 --> 01:20:38,255
the Black Maternal
Health Momnibus Act.
1397
01:20:38,755 --> 01:20:40,590
It's 12 bills
1398
01:20:40,591 --> 01:20:43,926
to end our nation's
maternal mortality crisis.
1399
01:20:43,927 --> 01:20:46,722
- All those families
who have been impacted,
1400
01:20:47,514 --> 01:20:51,225
who even in the
face of their trauma
1401
01:20:51,226 --> 01:20:52,936
and their devastating losses
1402
01:20:53,478 --> 01:20:55,438
continue to amplify
their voices,
1403
01:20:55,439 --> 01:20:57,983
that is really why this
work is happening today.
1404
01:21:03,614 --> 01:21:06,950
- Our healthcare system
including reproductive healthcare
1405
01:21:07,409 --> 01:21:11,120
was built on a legacy
of systemic racism,
1406
01:21:11,121 --> 01:21:13,832
and that legacy continues today.
1407
01:21:14,666 --> 01:21:17,794
- Madam Chairwoman, as
we approach Mother's Day,
1408
01:21:19,546 --> 01:21:20,589
my heart is heavy
1409
01:21:22,174 --> 01:21:23,759
as I sit here representing
1410
01:21:24,801 --> 01:21:28,180
the thousands upon thousands of
families that have been impacted.
1411
01:21:32,851 --> 01:21:34,603
These are my sons,
Charles and Langston.
1412
01:21:38,482 --> 01:21:41,151
My wife Kira won't wake up to
breakfast in bed this Mother's Day
1413
01:21:43,403 --> 01:21:47,282
because she gave
birth... in a country
1414
01:21:49,117 --> 01:21:52,746
that didn't see her,
that didn't value her.
1415
01:21:54,164 --> 01:21:55,249
We must do better.
1416
01:21:57,584 --> 01:21:58,961
This is Amber Rose Isaac.
1417
01:22:01,338 --> 01:22:02,631
Her son Elias
1418
01:22:03,674 --> 01:22:05,968
won't have the chance to
spend his first Mother's Day
1419
01:22:06,927 --> 01:22:08,053
with his mother.
1420
01:22:08,929 --> 01:22:10,138
Elias deserved better.
1421
01:22:15,894 --> 01:22:17,145
Shamony Gibson
1422
01:22:18,564 --> 01:22:22,066
should be here with
her son, Khari,
1423
01:22:22,067 --> 01:22:23,443
and her daughter, Anari.
1424
01:22:24,111 --> 01:22:25,445
She deserved so much better.
1425
01:22:27,447 --> 01:22:29,324
This is a human rights issue.
1426
01:22:30,659 --> 01:22:32,619
It should be a
fundamental human right
1427
01:22:33,245 --> 01:22:36,206
to deliver a healthy
child in this country
1428
01:22:36,790 --> 01:22:39,168
and live to raise that child.
1429
01:22:39,793 --> 01:22:40,793
That's my hope.
1430
01:22:55,100 --> 01:22:56,767
Greetings, family.
1431
01:22:56,768 --> 01:22:58,436
The reason why we are
gathered here today
1432
01:22:58,437 --> 01:23:01,023
is because Shamony
Makeba Gibson lived.
1433
01:23:03,066 --> 01:23:04,193
Gone too soon,
1434
01:23:05,068 --> 01:23:08,529
like a comet blazing
across the evening sky.
1435
01:23:08,530 --> 01:23:10,240
Gone too soon,
1436
01:23:10,741 --> 01:23:13,827
like a rainbow fading in
the twinkling of an eye.
1437
01:23:14,161 --> 01:23:15,746
Gone too soon,
1438
01:23:16,330 --> 01:23:19,750
shiny and sparkly and
splendidly bright,
1439
01:23:20,667 --> 01:23:24,379
here one day and gone one night.
1440
01:23:27,466 --> 01:23:31,010
Like a castle built
upon a sandy beach,
1441
01:23:31,011 --> 01:23:32,513
gone too soon.
1442
01:23:34,223 --> 01:23:37,684
Like a perfect flower that
is just beyond your reach,
1443
01:23:38,227 --> 01:23:39,520
That's my mommy.
1444
01:23:40,354 --> 01:23:42,064
gone too soon.
1445
01:23:45,609 --> 01:23:47,401
Shamony Makeba Gibson,
1446
01:23:47,402 --> 01:23:50,030
we will never, ever forget you.
1447
01:23:50,781 --> 01:23:51,781
Amen.
104476
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