The death of a young, pregnant Black woman inspired her lifework.
“Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States. More than white women and any other racial group,” says RIC大四学生Maria Prout (pictured above).
A wife and mother of two, Prout is expecting her third child in July. 她是一位认证的助产师, 为孕妇服务, and is graduating this May with a major in health sciences and a minor in medical anthropology.
Her interest in Black maternal health began in 2019 when 27-year-old Lashonda危害一名怀孕的黑人妇女在妇女医院去世 & 婴儿的医院.
根据 阿扎尔短信的截屏, she went to the hospital seeking help for severe abdominal pain but was sent home.
在她的 短信, 她写道, “I’ve been having excruciating stomach pain cramps and they’re not doing anything about it. 我的整个左胃又硬又痛. 我真的快死了.”
一天后，阿扎尔去世了.
“After her death, I began poring through research on Black maternal health,普劳特说.
Among other startling facts, she found that in the United States, Black women are two to three times as likely as white women to die due to complications related to pregnancy. 更重要的是, more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
“It doesn’t matter their level of education or income status,她说。, maternal deaths for Black women are disproportionately higher. “The root cause,” says Prout, “is structural racism. But it’s also been found that doulas improve maternal health outcomes.”
Doulas are not medically trained but they treat the physical, emotional and educational needs of a woman not only during pregnancy but during preconception and postpartum. 在劳动, 例如, a doula will help a woman manage contractions, suggest different labor positions and act as a coach.
研究表明，助产师也是如此, the rates of cesarean deliveries are reduced and women are less likely to experience a birth complication.
“After reading on this, I decided to take doula classes and get certified,普劳特说. She took an eight-day doula training at Uzazi Village and joined a collective of Black doulas called the Umoja Nia Collective.
“Once I became a doula, I wanted to do more,她说。.
Prout enrolled at RIC to major in health sciences, with a minor in medical anthropology. “My program laid the foundation for graduate work in midwifery,她说。. Prout will begin her master’s degree program in midwifery at Thomas Jefferson University. This is a three-year, part-time, online program that will allow her to become a certified midwife.
Certified midwives are medically trained to deal with pregnancy, 分娩, 新生儿护理和产后保健. Prout will be able to prescribe medications and provide routine reproductive care like pelvic exams, 巴氏试验或避孕咨询. She will be able to practice at hospitals, clinics, birth centers or at her clients’ homes. 她可以自由地专注于整体护理.
“我的希望是填补这一空白,普劳特说, “to be someone who looks like you and listens to your concerns.”
During her tenure at RIC, she was mentored by alumna 艾莉森Meola 19年，护理专业毕业，后来成为助产士. 他们是通过RIC的CEO项目认识的, which matches current students with alumni mentors who work in the students’ field of study.
“整整一年, Alison and I met via Zoom to discuss my professional and personal goals,普劳特说. “She helped me apply to midwifery school and offered to have me come shadow her.”
The CEO Program also offers monthly workshops, with presentations by experts in their field.
“我们举办了关于多样性的研讨会, equity and inclusion; financial literacy; résumé building; tips on how to get over your fear of public speaking; tips on interviewing for a job. It literally was a year’s worth of learning and networking with people from different fields, listening to their experiences and how those experiences led to their current career,她说。.
Prout is eager to begin her own career as a midwife. She’s practical when it comes to advice for pregnant mothers:
“找个助产师. Make sure you are being heard by your provider. 确保你的担忧得到了解决. Make sure you’re getting the answers you need. And if your provider isn’t supplying those answers, find another provider who you can align with. 做对你最有利的事很重要.”