Most people view childbirth as being a glorious moment. For many, it is. But there continue to be mothers who suffer horrific consequences of childbirth due to problems at the hospital. Kira Johnson was one of the many women who never made it out of the hospital. Prior to her death, she was under the impression that her son would be delivered during a standard C-section. After her son was born, things weren't right.
"I can see the Foley catheter coming from Kira’s bedside begin to turn pink with blood," her husband, Charles Johnson, told CNN. "I just held her by her hands and said, ‘Please, look, my wife isn’t doing well.’ This woman looked me directly in my eyes and said, ‘Sir, your wife just isn’t a priority right now.’"
Those words just prove that when it comes to labor, sometimes mothers are shoved aside. While Charles was there for his wife during childbirth, he couldn't control the grim aftermath. It's the worst-case scenario for any family and a horror to deal with. It's tough to celebrate a new baby when there's so much to grieve.
Charles is taking action to right this horrific wrong. Even though he'll never get Kira back and is now a single parent to two children, he can at least bring awareness to the issue. This isn't just one hospital's error — it's happening everywhere throughout the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 700 women die annually during childbirth in the United States. While childbirth is a natural occurrence, there's a lot that can go wrong. But there are also plenty of women who could have easily been saved if they got the medical attention they needed. Many of these deaths are actually preventable.
In comparison to other countries, the United States has a higher-than-normal number of maternal deaths. That alone might make you question the hospitals and whether or not they're using the best practices. Granted, some deaths do occur based on the lack of prenatal care. Some women don't have proper access to health care or the education to know how to handle a pregnancy in the healthiest way.
Those factors only count for a small number of maternal deaths. The CDC made sure to note that most are preventable. Relias Media also reports that the death rate in the United States is double the rate that the United Kingdom sees. It's also higher than 40 other countries, which means that as a nation, we're definitely doing something wrong.
In Kira's case, one of the biggest factors was time. "When they took Kira back to surgery and he opened her up, there were 3 and a half liters of blood in her abdomen from where she’d been allowed to bleed internally for almost 10 hours. Her heart stopped immediately," Charles noted to CNN. If doctors had caught it sooner, or listened to Charles, the situation may have gone differently.
All that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center could say about the situation was that "any situation where there are concerns about a patient’s medical care" is investigated thoroughly. But that's not comforting enough for men like Charles, who knew there was an issue but was silenced when he tried to speak up about it. If Charles could tell that Kira needed help, the doctors and nurses should have realized it as well.
Black women are even more in danger of dying during childbirth. The American Heart Association claims that black women are three to four times more likely to die due to unforeseen circumstances or issues at the hospital. "Basically, black women are undervalued," said Dr. Ana Langer, director of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "They are not monitored as carefully as white women are. When they do present with symptoms, they are often dismissed."
Because she was a black woman, it's possible that that's what happened to Kira. Luckily, her husband won't stand for it anymore. "We are in the midst of a maternal mortality crisis that isn’t just shameful for American standards. It’s shameful on a global scale," Charles said.
Charles isn't just suing the hospital. He's also trying to raise awareness on this issue and push for major policy changes. In his eyes, the hospital needs to be held accountable over the loss that happened under its watch. While people die at hospitals frequently, having a death caused by negligence is another story.
It's even more appalling if the doctors and nurses pushed Kira's health issues aside because she was black. This is an issue that all women of color need to keep an eye on. "A well-educated African American woman with more than a high school education has a five-fold risk of death compared to a white woman with less than a high school education," said Wander Barfield, director of the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per Wave3 News.
There are a few organizations looking into solving this issue. One is Every Mother Counts, which was started up by Christy Turlington. Founded in 2010, the organization is looking to raise awareness on the issue and lower the number of maternal deaths globally. It doesn't just focus on maternal deaths that happen during labor — it also focuses on deaths that happen due to a medical mishap that might end up killing the mother up to a year after actually giving birth.
"We believe that safe and respectful maternity care is a fundamental human right, and we strive to engage in efforts that will lead to long-lasting health improvements for every mother, everywhere," the website states. One of the nonprofit's specific goals is lengthening the amount of Medicaid coverage for new mothers. Currently, it's capped at two months postpartum — Every Mother Counts is fighting for a full year.
It's important to know that even with good care and nutrition leading up to labor, this could happen to any pregnant mom. Kira was smart, knew multiple languages, and could fly a plane — but she couldn't speak out when a doctor made a big mistake that ended up costing her her life. These are the people we're trusting to make the right decision when it comes to both our health and safety.
Charles is making sure that his two sons never forget their incredible mother. And by making this cause public, now the world knows how amazing Kira was. "If I can simply do something to make sure I can send other mothers home with their precious babies, then, it’s all worth it. What I try and do is wake up every day and make Mommy proud," he said.
If you're in a situation where you don't feel as if your doctor is making the right call, speak up. Hopefully, with the lawsuit that Charles is starting up, more hospitals will take these concerns seriously, especially when it comes to black mothers. While Kira is no longer with us, she'd definitely be proud of the steps her husband is taking to help other women avoid such a tragic and grim fate.
