Maternal Health

Sahana Raja asking pregnant mothers about their determinants of health at a primary healthcare center in the rural village of Mopperipalayam, India.

A global health internship and connecting to my culture

Sahana Raja

Bachelor's student Sahana Raja spent her summer at a global public health internship in Tamil Nadu, India, the region where her parents were born. She describes learning about healthcare and poverty, maternal health, and a calling to serve.

Four Hands: Mother, Baby, Father, Doctor.

Shifting perspectives: A personal story of maternal health and outcomes

Jessie Nelson

“I stepped into the all-familiar Michigan Medicine hospital. This time, however, my perspective was more than a little bit different. I had wandered these halls just weeks prior—not as a patient, but as a medical student. Now, I entered as an expectant mother.”

plantbased_pregnant

Is It Safe to Eat Plant-Based While Pregnant?

Elizabeth Baldwin

Maintaining vegan and vegetarian diets has gotten easier as the plant-based food options have become more widely accessible. While plant-based diets can be considered healthy in many ways, vegan and vegetarian expectant mothers may need to be more vigilant in understanding what they're consuming to ensure they're getting the proper nutrition during pregnancy.

A black mother stands on a beach while holding her infant

Infant Mortality among Black Babies

Utibe Effiong, MPH ’14, Ekemini Hogan, and Obasi Okorie

It’s a painful statistical fact that Black babies die at higher rates than White babies—a fact all the more painful and tragic for those living with the realities of infant mortality. The difference in death rates is shared by developing and developed nations alike. But the trend can and must change.

Black Mother holding a newborn baby

State of Maternal Mortality: The Inequitable Burden on Black Mothers

Kyle Simone Nisbeth

In the US, Black women die from pregnancy-related complications at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. The majority of these deaths are preventable, introducing tough questions for health care. Through awareness and advocacy, says Kyle Nisbeth, we can ensure that these burdens are mitigated and that Black mothers and babies receive the care they need to thrive.