Racism Must End for The Sake of Our Babies – #everybabycounts

First Candle is committed to ensuring that every baby gets to his or her first birthday and beyond.  Far too many babies are still dying and sadly a disproportionate number are Black babies.  What’s more, Black mothers are 3x more likely to die during or immediately after childbirth.

The stress of structural racism is a key factor in these rates of disparity.  What’s more, implicit bias that exists among care providers and medical professionals impacts how Black mothers are treated before, during and after they give birth.  The ramifications of this extend to the health and well-being of their baby.

Last year The American Academy of Pediatrics released a paper on the Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health.  This begins with young moms and the healthcare they receive.

First Candle condemns racism in all forms and will continue to strive to educate all care providers, medical professionals and others on how implicit bias impacts the rates of disparity in the deaths of mothers and babies.