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An inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care is gathering shocking evidence from new parents about their experience of pregnancy, birth and postnatal care in the UK. Hannah Summers reports
It has been repeatedly shown that Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity women are more likely to die, experience baby loss or become seriously unwell during pregnancy and childbirth compared to white women experiencing maternity care. Data published earlier this year by MBRRACE-UK shows Black women are four times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth in the UK while women from Asian ethnic backgrounds face twice the risk.
Lorraine Pryce, is a trained doula â a non-medical role providing support and advocacy during pregnancy and childbirth â and a member of the Birthrights panel.
She said demand for doulas is rising due to concerns over maternal mortality data. Figures published by MBRRACE-UK found women from Asian ethnic backgrounds face twice the risk of dying in childbirth as white women.
Lorraine Pryce, doula: âThe overriding feeling is . not being heard, believed or trusted.â Photograph: handout
âWe hear the statistics about those who have died in the worst cases but we donât hear from all the people suffering poorer outcomes because of their race who are still living with trauma,â said Pryce. âThis inquiry intends to give those people a voice.â
(Andrew Matthews/PA)
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A national inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care is meeting on Tuesday to launch a call for evidence.
Supported by the charity Birthrights, the inquiry will examine how racial injustice is leading to poorer health outcomes for mothers and babies in ethnic minority groups.
It follows a January report from MBRRACE-UK, which examines deaths among pregnant women, new mothers and babies, which found maternal death rates among women from black ethnic backgrounds were more than four times higher, and among women from Asian ethnic backgrounds were two times higher, than for white women.
Sun 7 Feb 2021 05.30 EST
An urgent inquiry to investigate how alleged systemic racism in the NHS manifests itself in maternity care will be launched on Tuesday with support from the UK charity Birthrights.
The inquiry will apply a human- rights lens to examine how claimed racial injustice – from explicit racism to bias – is leading to poorer health outcomes in maternity care for ethnic minority groups.
Data published last month by MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the country) showed black women were four times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth in the UK while women from Asian ethnic backgrounds face twice the risk.