Kami Wigginton draws from her own experience as pregnant woman of color as she forwards the mission of Ovia Health, a Boston company that offers support to families during pregnancy, postpartum, and throughout parenting. As director of payers sales for Ovia, Wigginton hopes to change the conditions that have created an uncomfortable fact: more Black women die from childbirth and related complications than white or Hispanic women. And that birth equity gap is increasing for Black women.
A majority of the company’s care team identifies as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Through an email exchange facilitated by a representative, Wigginton address racial inequities in maternity care, how Ovia is addressing this, and how her own care may have been different if she were a white woman.
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MedCity News: Can you speak about the pandemic’s effects on physical and mental health challenges for BIPOC mothers specifically?
Wigginton: Many women’s support systems were uprooted during the pandemic. Along with increases in general stress, anxiety, and depression it’s become a growing crisis itself. Ovia’s research shows that this has resulted in the following:
- 72% reported they had less support after delivery (e.g. family or friends’ help, night nurse, etc.)
- 1 in 4 women who delayed returning to work or quit their jobs did so due to postpartum depression or anxiety
- The most significant increases in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation are among women aged 35-39, in the BIPOC community (especially Black mothers), and first-time mothers. BIPOC mothers showed a 10% increase in severe symptoms of depression and 26% increase in reports of suicidal ideation
MedCity News: How is Ovia improving the maternity care Black mothers receive?
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Wigginton: Ovia Health partnered with NBEC, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, March of Dimes, and Family Equity on educational initiatives. First, weaved throughout all three experiences is mental health support. The support in our fertility tracking can help with birth control or birth planning. Also, there is an entire module in the pregnancy app for Black Maternal Health, addressing common chronic conditions, health risks, best practices, and supports for different paths to parenting. Lastly, the parenting app continues to help close gaps in care, support breastfeeding, and offers mental health screenings six months postpartum.
MedCity News: Broadly, what can be done to improve Black women’s maternity care?
Wigginton: Black women frequently feel unheard, misunderstood, and dismissed by their providers. Ovia’s Birth Equity program places an emphasis on increasing self-advocacy during provider visits by empowering our members with their own data in the palm of their hand. The program also includes resources like the Provider Discussion Guide and proactive outreach from our Health Coaches, a team of racially diverse clinicians who provide 1:1 support and education for members during every step of their reproductive health journey.
MedCity News: What role did racism play in your maternity care and the birthing experience ?
Wigginton: In the hospital, I (and so many other women) experience microaggressions specific to the prenatal experience: subtle things like addressing your husband, partner, or support person appropriately. I remember being offered to apply for WIC several times, despite being on employer-issued insurance and having an income level above six figures. WIC refers to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the a government program that provides supplemental nutrition support to low-income women and infants].
When I was in the hospital being induced, I could see the nurses during shift changes verbally explaining to the oncoming nursing team that I was knowledgeable and they could not just dismiss my inquiries. I had one nurse who told me she was going to “redefine pain” for me in the next 24 hours. Who says that to a first-time mom? There is nothing that I can point to that I can say explicitly that it was racist, but you can’t help but question how much race plays into treatment.
MedCity News: How did your pregnancy and maternity care impact your work?
Wigginton: I was actually fired just days after I told my supervisor about my first pregnancy. Although the termination decision was swiftly reversed when company leadership found out about it, the trust I had—in my boss, in my job security, in my company at large—was irreparably broken.
I think that is what led me to really evaluate the culture of a company more when interviewing and seeing if they have work/life balance. [At Ovia] I am in a space where I can be both a mom and a valued member of the team.
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