CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Maternal health care continues to be a problem in North Carolina.
For every 100,000 births in the state, 26 birthing people die from complications of pregnancy or childbirth within six weeks, according to the March of Dimes. That is higher than the national number.
For women of color the numbers are even worse. Now, a nonprofit called Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S, an acronym for breastfeeding, education, advocacy, normalcy and support, is trying to help.
“It’s a blessing, truly, that Jackson and I are here today," Rachel Dean, the executive director of B.E.A.N.S, said referencing herself and her son.
The gift of motherhood is something the Dean family doesn't take for granted.
“We like so many people, had a pretty traumatic birth," Dean said.
Their original birth plan didn't go as expected. Dean had to be readmitted to the hospital. She said it was the support of her team at B.E.A.N.S that helped her through the ordeal.
“Everyone deserves those troops to rally around them," Dean said.
“Having a team in place really does make a difference,” Deron Dean said.
Making a difference in the lives of Charlotte's Black families is the goal of this organization.
Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control. B.E.A.N.S aims to make a difference in the lives of Charlotte's Black families.
"I represent my mom who died very early after giving birth to me and I’ve had many stillborn and miscarriages,” Lugenia Grider, the assistant director for B.E.A.N.S, said.
For Grider, this work is personal. She says her mother went unheard and unseen. She later found out, her mother had a brain aneurysm from birth that was never diagnosed.
“It was just assumed that she was using drugs or something harmful to her body,” Grider said.
She now uses her story to change the narrative. She's trying to turn sorrow into support.
“It's kind of like I was born to do this work," Grider said.
“We focus on the whole person, the whole family, their overall well-being," Rachel Dean said.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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