I guess they didn’t see my warning on Monday but Justin Bieber, Brandi Granville and Claudia Jordan are among celebrities who pulled the pregnancy April Fool’s Joke and had to apologize or pull it down.
Bieber made a series of short jokes that included an Instagram pic of a fake ultrasound photo of his new wife Hailey Baldwin with a pregnancy announcement of Hailey’s pregnancy later revealed to be merely an April Fools prank.
Fans of the star couple didn’t take the joke lightly, some citing Bieber’s insensitivity toward people who can’t get have children.
Today, he half-apologized with another Instagram post.
“There’s always gonna be people offended, there’s also people who don’t take jokes very well, I am a prankster and it was APRIL FOOLS,” he wrote. “I didn’t at all mean to be insensitive to people who can’t have children.”
“It’s like when I shoved cake in my little sisters face for her birthday expecting her to laugh but she cried,” the caption continued. “You sometimes just don’t know what will hurt someone’s feelings not to compare pregnancy with cake in the face but it’s just to paint the picture of not knowing what will offend.”
Granville, formerly of the Bravo TV franchise Real Housewives of Beverly Hills posted on Instagram, “5 weeks now third times a charm… and y’all thought all of my eggs were scrambled.”
The reaction was swift and she took down the post and later tweeted,“I deleted my April fools joke on IG BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TO FUCKING SENSITIVE & I don’t feel like fighting today.”
Well they fought anyway.
One of her followers responded, “Not cool if a AF joke. I lost two babies. Sorry, but could you not have been a little more original or creative.”
Another Twitter user commented, “I don’t understand if this is your idea of a joke!! I struggled to conceive and required IVF. If you have any common sense you would realize the struggles of many many women! Completely unacceptable even from you.”
Critics in Jordan’s comments accused her of being insensitive to Hussle’s grieving fans, while others accused Jordan of being insensitive to women who’ve experienced infertility.
“Seriously though @claudiajordan perhaps a different Joke would have been better. A little insensitive you have to agree after reading the comments ALOT of women really cannot conceive and was genuinely happy for you,” wrote @knichelleburke69.
“So insensitive of you, some of us are struggling with infertility,” user bambulucutie replied.
“1 in 8 women suffer from fertility issues. I myself have had 5miscarriages and 2 still born babies. I struggle not only to conceive but birth a healthy child. To make a joke of it is not only insensitive but ignorant. This is the exact reason so many women suffer in silence. Pregnancy isn’t as easy as laying down and spreading your legs. Some of us put thousands into a pregnancy and it ends in a miscarriage. The mental abuse we do to ourselves for a child is insane. We want a child so bad that we become our own worse enemy. Somewhere at the moment you posted that a woman birthed another still born, found out there was no heartbeat, buried her child, pissed on a stick only for it to be negative again, was told the IUI failed, missed the ovulation window, was told she she’ll never carry a child of her own. Somewhere a persons entire world ended and here you are thinking it’s a joke. Congrats. Try learning about what women go through before joking about it. Sit with a woman that has suffered and still suffers from her miscarriage. Educate yourself. @claudiajordan“
Lesson Learned!
Hopefully by now, news spread and people will learn to leave this joke alone. It might have gone unnoticed in the past but in this era, it’s a no no!
Congrats to Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams who welcomed her first child, a baby girl on Friday.
“What a time to be alive!” Porsha and fiance businessman Dennis McKinley said in a joint statement to People magazine. “Porsha and I are so happy and blessed to announce the arrival of our daughter, Baby PJ. We couldn’t have imagined a more magical moment! Can’t thank everyone enough for joining us on this journey-it’s been a fantastic journey.”
Per the mag, the Dish Nation host welcomed her daughter at 1:36 p.m., weighs 6 lbs., 15 oz., and measures 20 inches long
Her sisterLauren Williams posted, but now deleted, on Instagram a photo of her and Porsha in her hospital room, as well as a screenshot of a text message exchange with Dennis. He wrote, “She’s here.” She responded, “Omggg” and “Lemme see!!!!!!!”
We loved her tender message about the impending arrival in an instagram speech in place of the one she was going to give at the baby shower:
The good news come after a traumatic loss from her past pregnancy.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I was excited [but] I had mixed feelings,” Porsha told People when she first announced the news. “The other feeling that I had beside excitement was fear.”
She previously told People.com: “I’ve had a miscarriage before in my past, which I’ve also been open about because I suffer with fibroids and had to have a myomectomythis.
“So just the fear of, ‘Is the baby going to be okay? Will I make it full term?’ All those questions that you ask if you’ve had a miscarriage before.”
In case you’re wondering whose next to give birth today, we got you! Take a look at which celebrities are waiting on a special delivery:
Amy Shumer had a rough start but is smooth sailing onto baby number 1 with hubby Chef Chris Fischer.
Vanessa Bryant and Kim Kardashian West are both expecting their 4th child. The Wests via surrogate. Kobe Bryant is waiting for his 4th girl!
Amy Schumer is pregnant with her first child with hubby Chef Chris Fischer.
Kobe and Vanessa Bryant are expecting their 4th child, another girl!
Kanye and Kim Kardashian West are also expecting their 4th child via surrogate.
Love and Hip Hop’s Erica Dixon is expecting twin girls, unexpectedly!
Steven Yeun’s wife Photographer Joana Park are expecting their second child, a boy!
After a miscarriage, Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashely Darby is expecting her first child.
It’s Baby #1 for another Bravo franchise star, Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Porsha Williams and her fiance Dennis McKinley
After 14 failed IVF cycles, RHOOC alum Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley are waiting for their first child together to arrive.
Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton and hubby Marc Mezvinsky are on baby #3.
Former NBC Today Show Host surprised her fans with news she was married and 8 months preggers.
Another star in her 40s who waited for baby for a long time is Mercedes “MJ” Javid Feight of “Shahs of Sunset”
We knew Danielle as a Child star on Boy Meets World in the 90s and now she will be a first time mom this year too.
Love and Hip Hop star Erica Dixon surprised her fans with notice that she is expecting twin girls via her YouTube channel.
The Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun‘s Wife photographer Joana Parkare expecting their second child, a baby girl, Park confirmed last week.
After suffering a devastating miscarriage, Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby is expecting her first child with husband Michael Darby.
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams and husband Dennis McKinley are expecting their first child as well.
Former Real Housewives of Orange County star Gretchen Rossi lost 14 embryos during the IVF process before successfully getting pregnant with her first child with husband Slade Smiley.
Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky are waiting on baby #3!
Another BravolebrityMercedes “MJ” David of Shahs of Sunset and her new hubby Tommy Feight are expecting.
Finally, I loved her on Boy Meets World as Topanga and now actress Danielle Fishel and her brand spacking new hubby Jensen Karp are expecting their first.
Shahs of Sunset star Mercedes “MJ” Javid had a pregnancy scare late last month.
The Bravo TV celebrity was checked into the maternity ward because she had a condition where her cervix was measuring too short and at risk of causing a miscarriage.
She had to get a procedure to cure the defect known as a cervical cerclage, also known as a cervical stitch, a treatment for cervical incompetence or insufficiency, when the cervix starts to shorten and open too early during a pregnancy causing either a late miscarriage or preterm birth.
Javid shared the moment from the hospital maternity triage ward.
“First and foremost, thank you so much for all the messages of love and support along the way,” she captioned a photo of herself laying in bed in a hospital gown.
She continued: “Here’s a little video of me feeling very scared and nervous about something unexpected that my exceptionally awesome doctors found during a check up after xmas where my cervix suddenly measured too short, around 1.3 centimeters, which is high risk for m.c. I got an epidural, an overnight stay at the hospital for a surgery called cervical cerclage, which is considered a rescue.”
She thanked her support team for getting her through the traumatic experience.
“How I got through this emotionally is by the strong, peaceful and beautiful spirit of my father, my maternal strength, and the unrelenting support of my husband,” she continued. “There is so much more to come and although bed rest has not been the ideal way to spend this beautiful time, I am learning a lot, and finding a blessing in EVERYTHING ?♥️? #babyjourney#pregnancyjourney#IVFJourney”
Earlier in the month, she showed her followers her baby bump perhaps to quell some of the rumors that the 46-year old wasn’t really pregnant and had a surrogate but was lying about it.
Javid married hubby Marketing Director Tommy Feight last April.
From vixen to mommy!
It was just last May 22, 2018, a month after her wedding, that a seriously trimmed down Javid was showing off her hot look while attending NYLON magazine’s Annual Young Hollywood Party at Avenue Los Angeles in Hollywood, California.
The world’s first in-vitro fertilization baby was born in 1978 in the UK. Since then, 8 million babies have been born worldwide as a result of IVF and other advanced fertility treatments, an international committee estimates.
More than a half a million babies are born each year from IVF and other methods, according to estimates
More than 2 million IVF cycles are made each year
Many women are under the impression that pregnancy can wait- when in fact, there is evidence to support aging plays a direct role in delaying pregnancy
What can a woman do at each age and stage? Thanks to advances in modern medicine, including IVF, women have more options than ever before
In addition to IVF, options also include freezing your eggs until you’re ready to start a family, there by preserving your eggs in your “prime”
As more and more celebrities get pregnant later in life, the average woman is left thinking that she too can wait until her late 30s or 40s to start planning a family. According to Dr. Elizabeth Barbieri of Oregon Reproductive Medicine, that’s not always the case. “Many celebrities are inadvertently setting unrealistic expectations for many women that it will be easy to get pregnant naturally in their 40s, when in fact a lot of these celebrities have struggled, and have had a little assistance along the way, including IVF.” According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) a woman’s best reproductive years are in her 20s. Women in their 30s have a 20% chance of getting pregnant and by age 40, a woman’s chance of getting pregnant is less than 5%.
With many women delaying pregnancy until their 30s and 40s, fertility issues are becoming a growing topic of concern. According to Dr. Barbieri, women need to think ahead and have a game plan, as there’s many things women need to consider in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
“Whether you’re a new college graduate that is just starting out on your career path, or if you’re in an established relationship in your 30s and trying to get pregnant without success, there’s a variety of options available to women on their journey to parenthood. Knowing more can help people take control of their fertility so they can start a family when the time is right for them.”
Things to consider in your 20s:
Women’s eggs age as we age. We are born with all the eggs we will ever have. The number of eggs actually peaks while we are a fetus, and by birth, we have about 1 million eggs left. When a girl begins her menstrual cycle during puberty, she has about 500,000 eggs left….and she hasn’t even had a chance to use one yet!
As women get older, our eggs do not function as well – meaning they are less likely to result in a pregnancy, and that if a pregnancy occurs, the risk of miscarriage increases as well.
How to Live Life
At any age, ways that a woman can optimize her ability to successfully conceive includes having a healthy lifestyle. Do not smoke. Limit alcohol intake to 4 or fewer drinks per week (for both partners). Maintain a healthy weight as women who are underweight or overweight can take longer to conceive. Take a daily prenatal vitamin (or folic acid supplement). Monitor your menstrual cycle as having regular periods (which is defined as occurring every 24-35 days) to ensure you are ovulating so that you have a chance to conceive when you are ready.
What To Do If Something Is Off
If a woman’s menstrual cycle is irregular, she may not be ovulating, and therefore, it will be harder (if not impossible) to get pregnant. Seeing your OB-Gyn to evaluate for causes of an ovulation/irregular periods can help identify and treat the reason you are not ovulating to help restore regular menstrual cycles.
Things to consider in your 30s:
The chance of getting pregnant each month declines progressively throughout a woman’s 30’s. In the early 30’s, the chance of pregnancy each cycle is approximately 20%. At 35 years old the chance of pregnancy each cycle is 15% and decreases to 5% as a woman approaches 40 year old. The age related decline in fertility is accompanied by a significant increase in the risk of miscarriage.
The risk of miscarriage for women under 35 y/o is approximately 15% and increases to 30% at 40 years old
When should women in their 30s get help if they can’t conceive?
Honestly, it is never too early for a woman to begin a conversation with her health care provider about her fertility. Women who are under 35 years old should seek evaluation if they have failed to conceive after 12 months of regular, unprotected intercourse. Given the age related changes in fertility, women over the age of 35 years old should seek help after 6 months of trying.
What risk factors may make it more difficult to become pregnant?
There are several factors that can affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant. Some of these are modifiable and some of them are not. It can be more difficult to conceive if a woman has irregular menstrual cycles or issues with the uterus or fallopian tubes. The uterus can be affected by the presence of fibroids or scar tissue, whereas, having a history of pelvic infections or endometriosis can affect the fallopian tubes.
Lifestyle factors can also affect fertility. For example, women who are either overweight (BMI>35) or underweight (BMI < 19) can have difficulty conceiving.
Tobacco use and heavy caffeine use can also affect fertility. Women trying to conceive maintain a healthy diet, avoid tobacco and use caffeine in moderation (<250 mg caffeine per day).
Twenty percent of the time the reasons for infertility are due to male factors. It is important that the male partner be included in the evaluation!
What can be done if a women in her 30s is facing infertility?
The first step is to have a conversation with a healthcare professional. This can be a primary care provider, general OB/GYN or a Reproductive Endocrinologist.
A Reproductive Endocrinologist is an OB/GYN who has completed sub specialty training in fertility. Having this conversation will provide for the opportunity to thoroughly review the medical history and determine if there are risk factors present that may be affecting their ability to conceive. Further evaluation can then be performed to evaluate for these factors. The basic fertility evaluation typically includes evaluation of the health of the women’s eggs, confirming that the fallopian tubes are patent and performing a semen analysis to evaluate the sperm.
Additional testing may be recommended if other risk factors are present.
Between what ages is egg freezing most successful?
Because of the age related changes in egg quality that occur during the 30’s, the earlier the process is completed the greater the chance of obtaining healthier eggs.
What should you keep in mind about risks to mom and baby in your 30s?
The most important thing to remember is that it is absolutely possible for women to have healthy babies throughout their 30’s. Although it may become more difficult to conceive as a woman gets older there are safe and effective treatments to help women grow their families.
Because the risk of chromosomal abnormalities increase as a woman gets older, additional testing may be recommended during a pregnancy to ensure the genetic health of the baby.
This may include a simple blood test or a more invasive procedure, such as amniocentesis. There are also fertility treatments available to evaluate this risk prior to conceiving a baby.
What other kind of fertility care is available to women besides egg freezing?
Egg freezing is a great option for women who are planning to delay child-bearing. Because of the changes that occur with the quality of the eggs as a woman gets older, freezing eggs at a younger age will help increase the chances of having healthy eggs in the future when she is ready.
There are many treatment options available for women and couples who are actively trying to conceive, but having difficulty. The specific treatment is generally determined based on the factors that are contributing to the fertility issues. There are more conservative treatment options available including the use of medications to help the ovaries release more eggs and/or intrauterine insemination (IUI). Some find that they need to utilize more advanced forms of treatment, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) in order to conceive. IVF is a process where the eggs in a woman’s ovaries are stimulated to mature and then removed through a simple surgical procedure. The eggs are then fertilized with the sperm and embryos are grown in the laboratory for several days.
A healthy embryo can then be returned to the women’s uterus or additional testing can be performed to evaluate the genetic health of the embryo prior to embryo transfer.
This testing is referred to as Preimplantation Genetic Testing. Once the testing has been performed an embryo will be selected and then transferred to the woman’s uterus.
Things to consider in your 40s:
What happens to egg quality once women are older?
The total number of eggs in the ovaries decreases as a woman ages. Additionally, a lower percentage of the remaining eggs will contain the correct number of chromosomes (46 chromosomes). Females are born with all the eggs they will ever have, which is approximately 1-2 million—and at the time of puberty, there are approximately 300,000-500,000 remaining eggs.
When a woman reaches her late thirties, she has about 25,000 eggs remaining—and at menopause, this number likely reaches less than 1,000.
The decline in both the number and quality of eggs can also be influenced by environmental factors including chemotherapy, pelvic radiation, smoking, or ovarian surgery; or by genetic abnormalities such as Fragile X. Despite the multiple tests available to evaluate a woman’s ovarian reserve, the best indicator of egg quality is age.
When should women in their 40s get help if they can’t conceive?
If a woman is experiencing infertility in her 40s, the best initial step is early evaluation. By taking the first step to make an appointment with an infertility specialist, a woman can better understand her overall fertility potential.
At this appointment, a doctor will discuss simple testing that can be used to determine overall ovarian reserve, as well as other diagnostic tests that can evaluate whether she is ovulating, the status of her fallopian tubes, and the semen quality of her sperm source.
Earlier detection can lead to earlier intervention and treatment to increase a woman’s chance of success.
What can be done if a women in her 40s is facing infertility?
After the infertility evaluation is completed, a woman’s provider will often recommend advanced reproductive technologies including standard IVF, minimal stimulation IVF, donor egg, or donor embryo.
There are multiple stimulation protocols for IVF. A woman’s provider will work closely with her to personalize the treatment based on her infertility evaluation, personal and medical history, and desired treatment option.
If a woman in her 40s is facing infertility, she will discuss all the available options with her provider—as there are many different ways to build a family.
If a woman has had her eggs frozen, can she become pregnant in her 40s?
Yes! A woman in her 40s can decide to thaw her frozen eggs when she is ready. An infertility clinic will inseminate the eggs with sperm, and follow them in a controlled environment as they grow from fertilization to a blastocyst (day 5 or 6 embryo).
Embryos can be transferred into the woman’s uterus at this point, or she might choose to have the embryos tested for genetic abnormalities prior to the transfer. It is important to realize that not all embryo transfers will result in pregnancies or live births. In fact, the literature would estimate a 2-5% live birth rate per embryo.
Most importantly, a woman should speak with her IVF clinic to become well informed about her chances for pregnancy.
If you’re interested in improving you fertility, or just improving your chances of having a child, visit a fertility clinic like Fertility Plus to explore all of your available options.
Congratulations to country singer Carrie Underwood and her husband Mike Fisher on the birth of their second child together, son, Jacob Bryan.
The American Idol Champ shared the news on social media.
“Jacob Bryan Fisher entered the world in the wee hours of the morning on Monday…his mom, dad and big brother couldn’t be happier for God to trust them with taking care of this little miracle!” Underwood shared with her fans on social media Wednesday along with a series of family photos. “Our hearts are full, our eyes are tired and our lives are forever changed. Life is good…” given birth to a baby boy!
The new arrival joins older brother, Isaiah, in the Fisher family.
A woman is being accused of faking a pregnancy after a months-long adoption arrangement, landing herself at the center of an investigation by a Virginia Commonwealth Attorney.
A couple from Lake Forest, California said they traveled across the country to adopt a baby, allegedly being carried by a Scott County, Virginia woman.
News Channel 11 has decided not to name this woman because she’s yet to be charged.
Laura and Matt Trayte said they initially came into contact with the woman in September of 2018, when they said she told them she was five months pregnant.
Laura said she didn’t ask for any money and, after having tried multiple expensive in vitro procedures, this was part of what made the woman seem like a perfect match for the couple.
From that point on, Laura said she talked to the woman every single day, exchanging thousands of texts over several months and talking on the phone for hours.
“She was going to be a part of our life for the future and the baby’s future,” said Matt.
The couple even came to visit the woman ahead of the expected birth date. They met with a lawyer to sign over the right to make medical decisions. They said they took professional photos, at the woman’s request, to be used for a social media announcement about the adoption.
“It was so exciting for me because a dream that I had been working on for ten years seemed like it was finally going to happen,” said Laura.
Not long after that, the woman started reporting complications, according to the Traytes.
“She told us so many times that she wanted us out there as soon as possible because she felt like the baby was going to come early,” said Matt.
The couple, both school teachers, scrambled to make arrangements to fly to the Tri-Cities for a second time.
On Thursday, November 29th the woman texted Laura, saying she was in labor and en route to the hospital. She told Laura there was blood all over her Jeep and that the baby was crowning.
The woman said she was being transported to Holston Valley Medical Center‘s NICU. Then, moments later, she said the baby had been born. “That she was small but perfect and we were just overjoyed in the car, crying and happy,” Laura recalled.
The couple rushed to the hospital with their son, who was elated to meet his new baby sister. The couple planned to name her Noella.
But when they arrived, the woman and the baby weren’t there. The Traytes said the woman was checked into the hospital for back pain and claimed to nurses she didn’t know them.
“She just sat there and stared at me with this blank stare, like no remorse,” said Laura.
The couple said it was a traumatic experience, especially for their son, who had come to know the woman and even some members of her family.
“He didn’t understand and it was hard to explain something we didn’t understand either,” Laura said.
Later, the woman attempted to explain. She said she had a miscarriage two weeks before and didn’t know how to tell the Traytes.
Yet on Facebook, the woman said she lost the baby at 13 weeks.
“She had said if you would like I would send you pictures of the death certificate and also of the dead body,” said Laura.
“Which we thought was absolutely horrifying and at this point we didn’t really believe anything that was coming out of her,” Matt continued.
Now, the Traytes are seeking justice.
A special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate whether emotional trauma can be considered a crime.
Congratulations to actress Gabrielle Union and her husband Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade who welcomed a daughter via a surrogate last night.
The Being Mary Jane star announced the news with a poem starting with the lyrics of Bill Withers‘ song “Lovely Day” on her Instagram and Twitter accounts this afternoon, captioning three photos of her and the NBA player giving “skin-to-skin” contact with their newborn:
When I wake up in the mornin’ love And the sunlight hurts my eyes And there’s something without warning, love Bears heavy on my mind
Then I look at you And the world’s alright with me Just one look at you And I know its gonna be A lovely day A lovely day ?
A LOVELY DAY ?????? We are sleepless and delirious but so excited to share that our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate and 11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days. Welcome to the party sweet girl! #onelastdance#skintoskin@dwyanewade ❤??
Wade shared an identical photo and share on his Twitterand Instagram accounts as well. In the series of photos, Union lays in a hospital bed and bonds with the baby using a method that is important for newborn’s emotional development and growth after birth called Kangaroo care, named for the Australian marsupials that carry their newborn in their pouches shortly after birth.
The actress, who got her biggest break from her role in the cult classic pop culture film Bring It On star had opened up about suffering through 9 miscarriages in a recent best-selling autobiography she releasedlast year, “We’re Going to Need More Wine.”
The Breaking In star writes in the book, which is a collection of essays, “for three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant—I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle.”
Sooo happy for them right now!! Congrats!!!! The celebrity baby girl boom continues! No news yet on the sweet girl’s name. Stay tuned!
Expecting rapper Remy Ma and her husband Papoose hit up The Real Talk to talk all things baby, pregnancy and parenting. The couple, who is expecting their first child together after suffering a miscarriage, also shared that they plan to have more children.
When Tamera Mowry-Housley asked them about it, the Love And Hip Hop star gave a detailed reply that included insights on her fertility struggles and successes:
“Ok, so when we did IVF, we did two cycles. The first cycle, we only got one egg and I was nervous. I was like, let’s just do it again so we’ll have more. We got one again the second time, so we had two. One was a boy, one was a girl, but I didn’t want to know which one. Whichever one was first, put that one back first and then the other one. So I told [Papoose], if he behaves and doesn’t spoil the golden child like he’s planning to do, we have a good baby and he accepts my nanny stuff and all of that, maybe somewhere around 2020, we’ll do the other one.”
The couple are planning to star and debut their very own spin off reality TV show called Remy and Papoose: Meet the Mackies. They also released a new song about their impending arrival called “The Golden Child”, a term they’ve been using to describe the baby they conceived after some struggles. They performed it on the show.
Charles Johnson , his wife Kyira Adele Dixon and their son Charles in Cartagena Colombia August 23, 2015 Photo Credit: Courtesy Charles Johnson
For every 13 white women who die during pregnancy or within one year of giving birth, there are 44 black women. Most of these deaths are preventable.
Maternal death rates is rising in America and black women are dying most. According to the Centers for Disease Control, black women are three to four times more at risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes than any other race.
“The experience of being black in America is so fundamentally different from the experience of being white in America that it translates to health outcomes,” said Dr. William Callaghan, chief of the CDC’s Maternal and Infant Health Branch.
It is happening at every socioeconomic level. Tennis Champ Serena Williams complained of doctors not listening to her about her critical chronic condition after the birth of her first child.
Trending this week is the story of celebrity TV Judge, Judge Hatchett‘s daughter in law, Kyira Johnson, who was a 39-year-old and mom to a 19-month old son with her husband, Charles Johnson IV, Judge Hatchett’s son.
Kyria walked into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a scheduled C-section to deliver her second son Langton in 2016— and would never walk out.
Judge Hatchett, her son Charles Johnson and his childeren Langston and Charles at home in Atlanta, GA on 6/20/17. Photographer: Julian Dufort
“We were expecting this to be a walk in the park,” Charles, 36, an entrepreneur, told PEOPLE magazine in a feature last year. “We thought we’d go in, high five, spend a couple days in the hospital and come home with two little boys.”
Charles said he noticed blood in Kira’s catheter and that she was in pain, but “smiled through the pain”
“She never complained,” he shared to that site. “She was so tough.” Kyria later died caused by a lacerated bladder that occurred during her C-section. Charles’ family sued but he didn’t stop there and has been working to create new laws and change policy, even testifying before congressional panels in Washington.
It’s not just the pre and post child birth experience either.
A new New York Timesreport indicates that women are also suffering miscarriages when they are denied requests for light duty at work when pregnant. The article told the story of few warehouse employees who lifted heavy boxes after work after begging their supervisors to work with lighter boxes but were repeatedly told no.
Editor’s note:As a black mother, I find this trend and the news coming out of several reports quite troubling.
This is a health crisis that should be addressed but I have no hope that it will get better before it gets worse if some things don’t change. Racism and discrimination, health disparity and negative attitudes towards certain groups won’t help either.
Could the solution be more doulas and midwifes and better laws and policies, and implementation? Perhaps! Let’s continue the conversation online at Bellyitch on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
