A heartwarming display of solidarity and support unfolded in Portsmouth as mothers and expectant mothers were showered with love and essential resources. Hosted jointly by the Portsmouth Department of Social Services and the Portsmouth Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the community baby shower served as a beacon of hope for families in need.
Made possible by a generous $3,000 grant from the South Atlantic region of the sorority, the event was meticulously designed to offer crucial assistance to families both before and after childbirth. Briana Pope, one of the attending mothers, expressed her gratitude for the event, emphasizing its significance in bolstering community ties and providing invaluable support.
“I do appreciate events like this; it just helps support the community and brings us together, and it’s a great thing,” said Pope.
However, the baby shower transcended mere material provision, with organizers aiming to address pressing issues affecting maternal and infant health in the city. Nakkia Gray, representing the sorority, highlighted the event’s broader mission in confronting alarming rates of infant and maternal mortality, particularly within the black community.
“We’ve been hearing more and more about the staggering numbers with infant mortality and black maternal mortality rates that are happening in the city of Portsmouth, so we wanted to have an event to address that,” said Gray.
Accompanying the array of vendors offering essential resources, a panel of experts, including Nichole Wardlaw, a seasoned midwife, shed light on critical aspects of maternal health. Wardlaw, drawing from her extensive experience, emphasized the systemic issues plaguing maternal care, citing instances of neglect and insufficient communication within medical settings.
Reflecting on her own pregnancy nearly three decades ago, Wardlaw lamented the persistent lack of progress in addressing these issues.
“I think it’s gotten bad, even worse than before. We have a long way to go; our country is an industrialized nation, and we have numbers that are comparable to developing nations, and that’s awful, especially when it comes to black women,” said Wardlaw.
Indeed, statistics from the CDC and the United States Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health underscore the disproportionate impact of pregnancy-related complications on women of color. Despite advances in healthcare, black women remain three times more likely to succumb to such issues than their white counterparts.
In light of these stark realities, the organizers of the event reiterated their commitment to empowering mothers and fostering a supportive community network. Whether by facilitating access to doulas or empowering women to advocate for their needs during medical appointments, the sorority aims to ensure that no mother feels alone in her journey.
“We want to help them get to a better state where they understand how to advocate for themselves, who they should be talking to, what are the questions they should be asking, what services they should be asking for, or even demanding,” emphasized Gray.
Ultimately, the community baby shower served as a testament to the power of collective action in nurturing and safeguarding the well-being of mothers and their newborns. Lisa Downey-Hood, representing the sorority, encapsulated this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of solidarity in times of need.
“Sometimes we feel like we are by ourselves when in fact others are going through the same thing,” remarked Downey-Hood, highlighting the significance of building a resilient community for mothers in Portsmouth.
