Kameelah Phillips, MD on ways Black parents-to-be can take charge of their care—and stay safe from a deadly but often overlooked postpartum threat.
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00:00I know sometimes when we come into labor and delivery or when the pregnancy test, you know,
00:04turns the two lines, we may feel overwhelmed and that things are stacked against us.
00:10I want people to come into this experience with life and love and joy. We are here to keep you
00:16safe. These topics that we talk about postpartum hemorrhage during Black Maternal Health Week
00:23are to empower you with knowledge, not to instill fear.
00:30Hey Essence fam, I'm Victoria Uwe Moroghi, Senior Lifestyle Editor for Essence Magazine,
00:34and we're here to talk about Black maternal health. For all the mamas out there, one of the
00:38most important things during a pregnancy is being clear about things that feel off for you and
00:43knowing that you can go to your obstetrician, have your concerns taken seriously and feel heard.
00:47But a lack of understanding from some providers during pregnancy, delivery, and even after is a
00:52huge problem for a lot of expectant moms. What things do we need to be on learn about when it
00:57comes to our bodies as expectant mothers? And how do we advocate for ourselves?
01:02So to help you get some answers, I've brought in Dr. Camila Phillips. She's a New York-based
01:06board-certified OB-GYN who is the founder of Cala Women's Health and a mother of three.
01:12Give it up for Dr. Phillips. Hello there.
01:15Hi. Hi. Thank you for having me.
01:18Thank you for taking part in this. I wanted to ask you first and foremost, Dr. Phillips,
01:23as a physician and a Black mother, how important is Black Maternal Health Week and just this effort
01:28to really save lives to you? It is the foundation of everything we try and do here. I don't take for
01:40granted one second that, yes, although I'm a Black woman and I am a mother, I am very privileged because
01:47I'm also a physician. And with that privilege, not only for myself, but for people who look like me,
01:53comes actually the responsibility to make sure that we make the birthing space inclusive, safe for all
02:01of us. And so that's why every time I have the opportunity to discuss Black maternal health,
02:07and especially this week, which really is every day, it really is a privilege because there are so
02:13many things that we can do to help keep women of color, specifically Black women, safe that
02:19we just need to keep talking about it, talking about it, talking about it, educating on all the
02:24socials, on all the news channels everywhere. And we will achieve our goal of making the birthing
02:30experience equitable for everyone in this country. So important. And I also wanted to ask you,
02:36you know, people tend to think that if you get a Black OBGYN, that's all you need. We're going to
02:41easily relate, easily, you know, you have my experience, it's going to go so well. But what
02:46really does it take for the perfect fit between a patient and a doctor during this very important
02:52time in a woman's life? Yeah, I think it's really important that we remember this is a relationship,
02:59you know, this is a relationship. And all relationships take time to engender trust and
03:07communication and honesty, transparency. So although you may have a Black physician, it still means that
03:15you have to work on that relationship. I don't want to assume that just because we're both melanated that
03:21I've had your experience or vice versa. You know, as I just mentioned, I'm a physician and I'm very
03:27knowledgeable and privileged in this space. As a news reporter, you are not. And so I want to make sure
03:34that I'm not assuming your experience and that I'm still listening to your concerns and not taking
03:39anything for granted about what is top of mind for you just because we have the same skin color.
03:46So finding someone who you can have easy conversations with, don't hesitate to express your concerns and
03:55have a honest rapport with is really paramount in finding a healthcare provider, whether she be of color
04:02or not. Yeah. Or a man as well. Yeah. Yeah. And also lastly, what are ways that we can advocate for
04:11ourselves? I know so much, so often we want to like be able to listen to our doctors and feel confident
04:16in what they're saying because they are obviously, like you said, the expert, you have knowledge and,
04:21you know, there's some things that we just don't know. But when should we be able to stand up and say,
04:26well, hey, this is something that I'm feeling and I don't want us to act like we need to bypass it.
04:31How can we best advocate for ourselves? Yeah. So I think it's important to one. I always tell
04:37patients when I walk in the room, I'm like, what are we talking about today? I encourage patients to
04:43write notes about their experience in the time that I've seen them in between visits. So
04:48listen, healthcare we know is broken. And so we only have a limited time, right, to get through some of
04:54those things. So coming to a visit prepared, knowing what it is you want to discuss. So you're
04:59sure that you hit the highlights is something that I really encourage. Taking the time and not being
05:05afraid to say, wait, wait, wait, I don't understand that. Can we back up? It's not anything to be
05:11embarrassed about. It's just, we need clarification. And in any industry, for example, when I go into the
05:17banking space, I have questions. It is okay to admit that you have questions and you need to
05:22have this explained to you in one or two different ways until it sinks in. The third thing that I would
05:29encourage people to do is if your doctor, for example, hands you a nugget of information that
05:34you might not be able to entirely process at that time and you need some more time, just make sure that
05:40you're going to vetted sources. And I would say that TikTok and Instagram and social media are not
05:46those vetted sources, even though we're watching this right now. It is really important that you go
05:51to national societies and look at what the current recommendations are, and then bring those to your
05:57doctor so you can have a really informed discussion.
06:01So a postpartum hemorrhage is any bleeding emergency that can occur after childbirth. This is
06:12actually a really important topic because a mother's total circulating blood volume passes through the
06:19uterus in eight to 11 minutes at term. So that means blood loss can escalate really quickly. And we know
06:26that the United States is facing a maternal health crisis. And with that, postpartum hemorrhage is a
06:33leading cause of this. And despite there being, but despite it being one of the more common birth
06:39complications, really little progress has been made in impacting and making sure women are safe from the
06:46impact of postpartum hemorrhage. And actually, there is a study that found that Black mothers are nearly
06:51two times more likely to experience hemorrhage. So this is important. There are some things that you
06:58can discuss with your doctor and potential interventions that you can discuss before you
07:04even get into labor and delivery. And one that I want to discuss is called Jada. So when postpartum
07:11hemorrhage or any abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding occurs, we have to act and we have to act fast
07:19to manage bleeding. Thankfully, we have an intervention that can help us do just that.
07:26And that is the Jada system. When someone is bleeding, I can use the Jada system, which works by
07:34using a low level vacuum, which encourages the uterus to contract as it naturally should after birth.
07:42The time to control bleeding was just about three minutes. And in studies, about 94% of participants
07:49experience a successful treatment. The Jada system specifically is intended to provide control
07:56and treatment of abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding or hemorrhage when conservative management
08:02is warranted. And as it relates to safety, in clinical research, there were no adverse events deemed
08:09definitely related to the device or the procedure. And there was a low rate of possibly device-related
08:15adverse events. So it is important that people talk about what interventions are available to me
08:22in my delivery environment that can help reduce my risk of postpartum hemorrhage. And I would discuss
08:29Jada with your provider. It's really important that healthcare professionals have open communication
08:35with their patients about potential complications while we're in the office, before things hit the fan.
08:43It's important that together we formulate the right plan to optimize their pregnancy and birth
08:50experience. And should complications like a postpartum hemorrhage arise, we can ensure you
08:56that I and our staff are informed on how to recognize it, how to quickly respond with appropriate
09:03treatments, and how to keep you safe. So let's start some of this before we even get into the delivery
09:09room. I love that. Thank you so much, Dr. Phillips. And lastly, what would be a sign that you may be
09:14dealing with postpartum hemorrhage that you need to be alert about? So I tell people, you know,
09:21bleeding can vary after delivery, but generally your nurse and your doctor are responsible for
09:27recognizing a postpartum hemorrhage. And it's one of those things that like when it happens, you know.
09:32And women, for example, might experience just a gush of blood. We know from just menstruating what is
09:39kind of too much. That sense should alert you. That spidey sense should alert you, hey, let me call the
09:46nurse. Let me call the doctor. Let me call a family member so I can make sure I'm getting the necessary
09:52and quick help that I need. So it's really a rapid bleeding that people experience typically after
09:59delivery of the baby and placenta, but can occur upwards of 24 hours while you're in the hospital.
10:06Postpartum hemorrhaging is such an important topic that we need to pay attention to as we go into
10:10pregnancies and as we prepare for the postpartum period. So thank you so much for sharing that
10:14information, Dr. Phillips. Thank you. And before we go, can I just say this one thing?
10:20I know sometimes when we come into labor and delivery or when the pregnancy test, you know, turns the two
10:26lines, we may feel overwhelmed and that things are stacked against us. I want people to come into
10:32this experience with life and love and joy. We are here to keep you safe. These topics that we talk
10:41about postpartum hemorrhage during Black Maternal Health Week are to empower you with knowledge, not to
10:47instill fear. So use this to lead the conversation with your health care provider. Know what interventions
10:53are possible, such as the Jada device. Empower yourself, strengthen your diet, and come into
10:59this experience strong and enjoy your birth. I wish everyone the best of luck. Definitely. And we
11:07thank you for listening and learning. And as she said, they're here to give you all the knowledge you
11:11need to have a healthy and happy pregnancy. Thanks for watching.