Thank You for Praising Black Obstetricians, but Why Aren’t There More of Us?
As a Black ob-gyn physician with over three decades of clinical experience, I exhaled with relief after reading Tonya Russell’s article, Mortality for Black Babies is Cut in Half When Delivered by Black Doctors, et al. Finally, someone has told our truth. The evidence was always there; however, no one took the interest or time to publish it. Thank you, Dr. Rachel Hardeman.
Obstetrics is a specialty of the unexpected. A woman’s uneventful prenatal course can quickly transform into an emergency during labor or delivery. Babies have a unique way of announcing their time of arrival in the most harrowing and unforgettable manner. Their heart rate drops precipitously, as evidenced on their fetal monitor. Or mom’s blood pressure suddenly rises to alarming levels of panic. Do we treat the condition, or do we deliver? That is the ultimate decision faced by an obstetrician.
Pregnancy is often the first time a Black woman sees a physician for a myriad of reasons. The later her entrance to care, the more complicated her pregnancy becomes.
Are Black obstetricians more skilled than their non-black counterparts? Probably not, but we are well versed in the dynamics of being Black and living in a society filled with contradictions and uneven playing fields. The journey is arduous…
