For many people, starting a family is a joyous time. But for some African American women, giving birth can be life threatening as an eight year review of state data shows.

In Maryland, non-Hispanic Black women represented 54% of pregnancy-related deaths, according to the Maryland Department of Health’s Maternal Mortality Review data collected between 2010 and 2018.

During that time frame, 137 women died during pregnancy due to complications, including 74 non-Hispanic Black women, which researchers say is a staggering health disparity.

Dr. Donna Strobino is a professor emeritus at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who has researched child and maternal health for five decades.

“It's really important that this disparity has come into the forefront,” Strobino said. “It is probably the most unconscionable disparity that I see.”

A common pregnancy complication for Black women is severe bleeding, or hemorrhaging. Health officials also point to infections, internal stressors, and blood pressure disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia and eclampsia, as contributing and preventable factors.

And as the public turns its eye towards this issue, those involved say there are a couple of solutions to address the disparity.

Ana Rodney, is the executive director of MOMCARES, a Baltimore City-based organization that supports Black mothers during the birthing process. She began the nonprofit which provides free doulas for Black mothers after her own challenging birth experience.

Last month, MOMCARES gained prominence after the widow of actor and Baltimore native, Lance Reddick, asked fans to donate to the organization in his memory.

“We saw a dramatic influx of donations in the wake of his death,” Rodney said. “Those donations that are still coming in, are helping us make sure we have a smooth transition from our fiscal sponsorship arrangement to our own 501c3. There are associated costs with the transition. We no longer have to fundraise because of the outpouring of support.”

Rodney says the donations — $40,000 dollars and counting — will accelerate a Daddy Doula pilot program.

“When you think about it, it’s the dad’s who are left,” said Rodney, speaking on the aftermath of the Black maternal crises.

She says by year’s end, the Daddy Doula program will teach fathers how “they can support their partner in the birthing and postpartum process.”

“They’ll also be trained on comfort measures and screening for postpartum mood disorders,” added Rodney. “We're working to make sure that we are preparing and providing them with their own support around those issues.”

Strobino, the researcher, says part of the solution extends beyond the medical community.

“Listen to the voices of pregnant individuals when they say they think there's something wrong,” said Strobino. “That includes during pregnancy, as well as postpartum and that's friends and family members, because sometimes it's not clear that someone is experiencing a major complication, until it gets to the point where it's severe.”

There are national efforts to reduce the maternal mortality rates. For example, the National Institutes of Health Centers of Excellence is funding research to gather more data on the issue. Vice President, Kamala Harris, also highlighted the issue by releasing a Maternal Health Blueprint in June 2022.

Rodney is encouraged by those measures.

“My hope is that in ten years time, I will have had to find something else to do because we've corrected the crisis,” she said.