LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Norton Healthcare is preparing to honor Maternal Health Awareness Day this Sunday, Jan. 23.
In a recent press release from Norton Healthcare, they said the maternal mortality rate has been on the increase in the United States since 1997. This not only includes during childbirth but the first year after giving birth as well.
“It’s very important for patients to pay attention to their health and say something if they aren’t feeling right,” said Lyndsey D. Neese, M.D., an obstetrician and medical director of quality for women’s services at Norton Healthcare.
Norton Healthcare's "Stop! Look! Listen!" campaign is designed to do just that.
According to the press release, Kentucky is one of the highest in the nation when it comes to the number of patients who have died during pregnancy, childbirth or the year after giving birth.
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Neese said the day is important for everyone, from physicians to the community, to take the opportunity to check in with the women around them who are pregnant or who have recently delivered.
"Make sure they're okay," she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 50,000 women experience unexpected issues because of pregnancy. Around 700 women die due to pregnancy or pregnancy-related complications alone.
Black patients die at a rate three times higher than white patients, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The organization said Native Americans and Alaskan Natives die at a rate two times higher than white patients.
Postpartum complications to watch for
The CDC’s Hear Her campaign lists symptoms people should be aware of up to a year after childbirth:
- Severe headache that won’t go away or gets worse
- Dizziness and/or fainting
- Vision changes
- Fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
- Swelling in the hands, face or legs, which makes it hard to move
- Thinking about hurting yourself or your baby
- Trouble breathing or tightness in chest and/or throat
- Chest pain in the center of your chest or that travels to your back, neck or arm
- Fast heartbeat
- Throwing up (more than you would during morning sickness) and inability to drink anything for more than eight hours or eat anything for more than 24 hours
- Sharp and/or sudden stomach pain that gets worse or doesn’t go away
- Vaginal bleeding or discharge
- Extreme tiredness that may come on suddenly
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