OUR FORGOTTEN BOROUGH | Why it is more risky for a Bronx mom to have a baby - Bronx Times

"Bronx residents are more likely to experience systemic challenges that impact pregnancy, from living below the poverty line to limited access to healthy food and prenatal education. Yet the most preventable cause of maternal deaths is discrimination during hospital care. The maternal mortality rate is twice as high if the mother is Black, when compared to white moms. Over 71% of mothers who died during childbirth in the Bronx, were Black and Hispanic, according to the 2021 Health Department report."

"That includes mothers like Amber Rose Isaac, who repeatedly told her gynecologist that she was having trouble breathing and other symptoms, making her pregnancy difficult. When bloodwork was finally conducted, she died a day later during an emergency C-section at Montefiore Einstein. Montefiore declined to comment on Amber's case in an email to the Bronx Times, citing pending litigation, HIPAA regulations and patient privacy rules."

"Expectant mothers in the Bronx are exceedingly concerned about whether they'll live to see their child be born, Alvarez said. And if their doctors will follow their birthing plan. More often than not, women of color are forced into situations where they have to deliver their babies via c-section, going against their initial wishes. "The possibility of you having a c-section is based on who's on shift, or the day of the week," Alvarez said, it's inconsistent."

Bronx residents face systemic challenges impacting pregnancy, including poverty, limited access to healthy food, and inadequate prenatal education. Discrimination during hospital care represents the most preventable cause of maternal deaths. Black mothers experience maternal mortality at twice the rate of white mothers, and over 71% of maternal deaths in the Bronx involved Black and Hispanic women. Many expectant Black and Hispanic mothers report not being listened to or taken seriously by doctors, leading to delayed diagnoses and adverse outcomes. Hospital practices and inconsistent access to preferred birthing plans increase rates of unwanted C-sections. Transportation and resource barriers further complicate prenatal care access.

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