Mom gives birth after 4 miscarriages as study shows pregnancy struggle many Black women face
By Akilah Davis
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RALEIGH (WTVD) — At 10 days old, Brayden is the newest addition to the Pittman family. You can tell he already has the heart of his parents and big brother Kaleel Douglas.
“With Brayden, there was a lot of anxiety around me being pregnant this time. I never made it past three months,” said Raleigh mom Brittany Turner.
She suffered four miscarriages and thought this would be another. When health officials rushed her in for an emergency C-section, she didn’t think he would make it.
“By the time I got to the ER, one of the nurses put a Doppler on my stomach. She goes 90….80… the baby’s heart rate was going down that fast,” said Turner.
Brayden was delivered at six pounds and nine ounces. Turner posted a viral video of the newborn holding her face assuring her that he was alright.
“Soon as I grabbed my phone I looked and said, ‘is he caressing her face? Are you serious? Is this baby? This guy is amazing. This is my child,'” said Antonio Pittman.
A study released by the Lancet, a medical journal, shows 23 million miscarriages happen across the globe every year. This means 44 women suffer pregnancy loss every minute and Black women shoulder a heavier burden.
The report shows the risk for losing a baby is 43 percent higher for Black women than for white women. Some risk factors include stress, being over or underweight, age, smoking, alcohol intake and long work hours.
Brittany later learned Brayden’s umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice, which is what caused his heart rate to drop. While they are grateful for their newest addition, the emotional toll of it all has them rethinking growing their family.
“After this ordeal, I want to have another child, but it makes me scared to even try again,” Brittany said.
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