She's a doctor with access to the best prenatal care. Why did childbirth nearly kill her?
Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell wasn’t feeling right.
The physician from Reno, Nevada, knew what to expect after giving birth to her second daughter via cesarean section in 2016. Then she felt dizzy and had a dull pain in her stomach. Curry-Winchell relayed her concerns to the nurse who had wheeled her into the delivery room.
“Bayo, you look fine. Everything looks fine,” the nurse told her.
But everything was not fine. Curry-Winchell called her obstetrician, who rushed to the hospital and took her back into the operating room. Doctors discovered she was bleeding internally.
“I had the most access in the world. I’m a medical director; I have a badge to the hospital and it didn’t save my life. It allowed the dismissal to happen,” she said.
Maternal mortality rates are 3.5 times higher for Black women than their white counterparts. These disparities are partly due to limited access to quality prenatal care, comprehensive insurance and nutritious foods that would sustain a healthy pregnancy.
However, researchers found these disparities still exist regardless of income and education, according to a 2023 study from the National Bureau of Economic Research looking at childbirths in California.
Unconscious bias among healthcare providers “plays a big role” in this medical paradox, said Dr. Kisha Davis, chief health officer for Montgomery County, Maryland, and a board director for the American Academy of Family Physicians.
“Many women feel like their pain wasn’t listened to, their symptoms were ignored, they had a concern or question and didn’t feel comfortable,” she said. “It’s really critical to make sure we check these biases at the door.”
Research suggests the remnants of the medical community's long history of racial bias persist in modern day. A 2016 study found that nearly half of first- and second-year medical students believed that Black people have a greater pain tolerance, thicker skin and feel less pain than white patients.
These medical biases may also impact mental health treatment. Forty percent of Black women experience maternal mental health symptoms and up to half of these women don’t receive support for it, according to the March of Dimes, a nonprofit aimed at improving the health of mothers and babies.
Davis said this is especially important as studies show mental health conditions are the leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S.
“Doctors need to do a better job of listening to our patients and helping them feel safe. Our patients need to push us to make sure that we are respecting them and respecting their care,” Davis said. “It’s a systemic issue… The challenge is on us to make the system better.”
One way to improve the system is to hire more Black doctors as research has shown patient outcomes are better when providers look like them, said Katherine Sacks, associate director of health economics at the Milken Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Santa Monica, California.
“Having someone who listens and understands and has a good relationship with you is extremely important – not just for maternal mortality,” she said. “We want people to have a good (birthing) experience. Birth trauma is very real for a lot of people who survive.”
Curry-Winchell’s birth trauma inspired her to pursue healthcare advocacy. Her goal is to empower patients with information, tools and tips to advocate for themselves, such as preparing questions ahead of a doctor's visit or bringing a trusted friend who can speak up during the appointment.
She hopes her work can help other women avoid the trauma that she experienced nearly 10 years ago.
“That’s what really fuels my desire to continue to help as many people as possible,” she said. “Your health is truly your most prized possession.”
Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.