79 | Pregnancy Needs Support - Deidre Brooks

Deidre Brooks' story is timeless. Her memories of her pregnancy are so vividly detailed, which speaks to the power of pregnancy-related memories and how transformational the experience can be.

Picture this, it's 1989, and Deidre found out she was pregnant between 4-5 months gestation after multiple negative tests. The moment she found out became a learning experience for a nurse eager to share the news. Deidre flatly reminded her to work on her delivery as you don't know how a person feels about the pregnancy. The pregnancy moved forward, and she discovered that she was losing weight and often feeling tired, which made her grow agitated with pregnancy. Deidre states that she was young and wasn't aware of what was proper nutrition for herself. She was working at a fast-food restaurant and made changes the best that she could. She worked with her provider to discuss options to increase her weight.

When she finally went into labor, it proved challenging as the doctor on call was aggressive and had problems in his communication style. He lacked respect and empathy for a laboring person. Not to have her voice silenced, Deidre made sure he knew how inadequate his service was to her in the moment.

Postpartum care with her nurse home visitor helped her overcome the impossible feelings of providing for her son as a single parent. She was thankful for the words of encouragement and for someone to see her plight.

Today, Deidre has been hearing the stories of Black women giving birth, and it has opened her eyes to the experiences of lack of care and attention plaguing Black Maternal Healthcare. Her self-reflection triggers the things that could have gone wrong, and she shares that her experience shows, "That we are blessed even when we don't see it in the moment. There is always humor somewhere. That is what I find in reflecting on my story. Listening to the stats and stories about negative outcomes for black women makes this clear to me."