Thread by @FabianWomen

We're starting our webinar on Black Women's Maternity Health 🤰🏿 You can quickly sign up and watch here us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist… #FWNLab20

Professor Neena Modi is up first. She's setting the scene first with some keys fact: black women are 5 times more likely to die during pregnancy than white women #FWNLab20

NM: During the beginning of COVID-19 between March to April, 56% of pregnant women who tested positive with the virus were BAME #FWNLab20

NM: Women who breastfeed are likely to face problems with career progression - why do we punish women for childrearing? #FWNLab20

NM: If we allow women to childrear without barriers, it will benefit the economy and help future generations #FWNLab20

You can now our zoom on Black Maternity Health on Facebook Live now facebook.com/FabianWomen/vi…

We're now on Dr Christine Ekechi. She stresses that we need to understand why black and asian women are more likely to have comorbid conditions during pregnancy.

CE: We need to acknowledge unconcious bias in the way women are able to access healthcare, how they are perceived in healthcare and how this affects the quality of care black, mixed race and asian women receive #FWNLab20

CE: We need to have a diverse workforce. However, we know that career progression is not the same for black and asian doctors compared to white doctors #FWNLab20

CE: We are good at statistics for pregnancy, but not for other aspects of women's lives. Ensuring we have healthy young girls and women would prevents the comorbid conditions that lead to poor pregnancy health #FWNLab20

We are now onto Dr Catherine Omotayo to talk about the community response, based on her group MumsPride - 99% members are black, and the group supports them through the journey of pregnancy. #FWNLab20

CO: Notes a lot of anxiety for women in the group at the moment; not just the situation of COVID-19, but also worries about how their pregnancy journeys are being affected, particularly through partners not being stopped from attending key appointments #FWNLab20

CO: As a pregnant women, you want to find your spokesperson; need to find someone to speak out, vouch for you, and someone who can relate to. Not being able to have your partner with you takes that position away. It's not clear why either #FWNLab20

CO: Many of the mums she works with are from a medical background, but that doesn't make it any easier. It's a sad time for many of these new mums.

Please submit questions in the chat button! We've had fantastic panellists so far #FWNLab20

We are now on to Justin Madders MP for Labour's response on black maternity health #FWNLab20

JM: Any government should be addressing the disproportionate number of deaths of black women during pregnancy. It simply shouldn't be tolerated. #FWNLab20

JM: A good pregnancy and a good start in life helps children to stay healthy throughout their whole life. It's why Labour was so proud of their Sure Start centres are why it's so disappointing with their closure #FWNLab20

JM: Large regional variations of stillbirths amongst the NHS; although pregnancy is safe in this country, in many areas it is an uneven spread. Aim needs to be to reduce inequalities and to make it more equal.

JM: The NHS have said they want to address the inequalities, but they haven't actually set any targets, meaning it's more difficult to hold the government to account over this #FWNLab20

JM: Although we're a while away from the 2024 manifesto, we need to develop ideas now as this issue can't wait that long #FWNLab20

A Q on when professionals talk about comorbid conditions, they may be pushing the blame back onto black women. CO says important not to feel blamed, but need to encourage education to ensure women have the best knowledge possible. #FWNLab20.

Q: Since the Embrace report (which reported on pregnancy risks), what policies were present and what has changed? JM says not much #FWNLab20

JM says he will write a parliamentary question on the report, as a timely reminder that the Minister needs to remember this #FWNLab20

Q: What can be done to reduce maternal deaths? NM: Good question! Educating boys and girls to educate them for parenthood; measuring and valuing these childbearing contributions; making sure disadvantage doesn't impact

NM: We need clean air - studies show that BAME women are more likely to live in areas with high air pollution, which will impact their pregnancy. #FWNLab20

NM: Cities idea of getting rid of GPD as it doesn't incorporate the unpaid labour women do through childrearing #FWNLab20

(We were talking about the MBRRACE report before, whoops 🤦🏿‍♀️)

CE: BAME isn't a helpful term, as it just means women who are not caucasion. We lose the individuals through this; there are no genetic similarities amongst these groups #FWNLab20

CE: Before throwing money at new innovations, prioritise community groups first, which we know work. Rebuild that link between the community and the hospital. #FWNLab20

The chair Victoria summarises: We need a robust economy that supports pregnant women, a curriculum that teaches medical students about race and how to deliver effective care for black women.

Thank you to all our panellists for joining, and thank you for watching! #FWNlab20