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AUSTINWEEKLY news ■
Vol. 33 No. 24
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June 12, 2019
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Regular news on pages 4 -14
austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
M A T E R N A L
@AustinWeeklyChi
H E A L T H
@AustinWeeklyNews
I S S U E
Chicago expanding home visits from nurses More focus on postpartum care brings new attention (and funds) to home visits By Emeline Posner City Bureau
Nearly four years ago, Cassie Calderone strapped her newborn into a carrier to take the El from Andersonville to the Loop for her first postpartum checkup, just six days after giving birth. Calderone experienced heavy blood loss during delivery and was still passing large blood clots even after several days at home. When she made it to the hospital after the hour-long commute, her midwife told her that she needed to go on bedrest for a week. I n i t i a l l y, Calderone was happy to hop on the train for a follow-up appointment, but started to feel nervous about exposing her newborn to germs on public transit. “[And] after I saw my midwife and she put me on bedrest, that was when I had the ‘What am I doing out here?’ thought,” Calderone remembered. Until recently, post-delivery care was not considered as significant as prenatal care. But with new studies showing that the maternal mortality rate rose 26 percent in the United States between 2000 and 2014, and that more than half of maternal deaths occur postpartum, medical practices and opinions are starting to shift. But nationwide, 40 percent of wom-
Moms matter Welcome to this special Maternal Health Issue of Austin Weekly News, produced by City Bureau. City Bureau is a member-supported, nonprofit civic journalism lab based in Woodlawn. We bring journalists and communities together in a collaborative spirit to produce media that is impactful, equitable and responsive to the public. We embarked on this project because there is a maternal health crisis in America, and Black women are bearing the brunt of it. Through this issue, we hope to showcase their resourcefulness and resilience, along with a look at proposed solutions and communities working together. The stories for this issue were produced by City Bureau Civic Reporting Fellows: Sarah Conway, Janaya Greene, Caroline Olsen, Emeline Posner and Camille Powell. Stories were edited by Bettina Chang. Special thanks to the team at ProPublica Illinois, who shared their data with us. Learn more at www.citybureau.org. en don’t make it to their standard sixweek postpartum checkup, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. That could be because of many barriers to access, including transportation, poor weather or lack of childcare—and it means these women don’t get the essential information they need to care for themselves after childbirth. That’s why public health and maSee NURSES on page 17
Caroline Olsen/City Bureau
Dorothy Bowser, 27, of East Garfield Park, poses with her baby girl after winning the #CoverMama contest hosted this spring by City Bureau and Austin Weekly News. “These little humans we call babies are so powerful and influential; amazing teachers of grace, patience and time management,” she said. Read more on page 17.
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