@BellRibeiroAddy opening the APPG on Black Maternal Health in #BMHAW24 day 3. Bell welcomes Opposition pledges of a target to eliminate inequality of outcomes. Looking forward to the speakers @NCTcharity
Kim Thomas from @BirthTrauma explains the work of her charity, supporting those experiencing trauma and striving to improve services to prevent PTSD occurring #BMHAW24
@GeetaNayar01 tells her own story of a difficult birth & perineal damage. Postnatal care poor & unsupportive, feelings of uselessness & shame. Geeta eventually got help from @masic_uk & now works on behalf of other parents. She stresses the worse outcomes for Black & Asian women.
Speakers from @HGSupportUK also note Black women twice as vulnerable to experiencing severe sickness in pregnancy. Racial disparities will be part of future research in this area.
Annalies Hopkins from @Blisscharity reports at @appg_bmh on struggles of Black families with baby in neonatal intensive care. She notes parents on low income are impacted by costs of visiting, childcare, work time lost. Neonatal data collection often omits/misidentifies ethnicity
@rowntree_maria raises issue of inadequate help for women not speaking English, highlighting greater risks for mother & baby unable to report symptoms or understand advice @fivexmore @NCTcharity @Blisscharity
@elizabethduff2 @BellRibeiroAddy @NCTcharity Sadly as Co-secretariat @MimosaMidwives had to give apologies for today. More to come.