Black Maternal Health (w/ Dr. Kecia Gaither, MD)

And today I'm shedding a light on pandemic pregnancy, women's health, and of course we're gonna talk about the vitamin Z because everybody needs that deep And so I invited a special guest of mine, the incomparable double sports certified physician and O b G y N and Maternal Medicine and Director of Paranatal Services at NYC Health and Hospitals Lincoln in the Bronx, New York, the one and only Dr

Kesha Gaither. So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for your dough a Vitamin D D. Right with me and get excited. Hello there, Dr Keisha Gather, Hello, Mr Day, how are you hello, audience, It's so good to see you. Good to see you too. I'm jealous of your weather day I'm there in California. You know, we have to be a full representation of vitamin D, so bringing light all the way around. I know you got that sunshine, and I hope we're shouting stuff to

your way. Yeah, we we've got to ring. We will get some sun tomorrow. You can get some of that vitamin. So how are you doing though, How you been holding up in this pandemic. Well, it's much better now. Um, I can definitely say that when we were in the height of it a bit much, it really was very scary. It's a it's a change, is something different, you know. It's a mote of where we're all going in, which is a good thing right as far as within ourselves

and doing work and really evaluating. But while we're also in a emotionalness spiritual sense going in, we're physically going in. And that's why I'm so excited to have you on because I talk about vitamin D from an inspirational and motivational level. Okay, but I got you on to not

even sprinkle it there. But we're also going to be talking about how important it is with health and black maternal health because let's face it, a lot of people are inside and while they may not have the vitamin D from outside, they're sure getting some D from somewhere. And a lot of people are having babies. And when we look at the disparity in general, when it comes down to black women and pregnancy and death rates and health, one can only be alarmed and want to know how

does vitamin D connect? And so that's where you come there. Okay, all right, so let's let's talk a little bit about vitamin T. The vitamin D is made in the skin in conjunction with sunlight. For people of color, the melanin can um inhibit the normal production of vitamin DING. Now, given the fact that we're in COVID and we're in the house and there are a lot of people of color for in the house, um it is it is is certain that there are many people who are vitamin

D nutrition. So given that b let's talk about vitamin ding and what it does for a normal human as well as a pregnant human. So, vitamin D it's involved in a lot of things. It's involved in your party of vascular health. It's involved involved health, it's involved with your mentation in pregnant women, it's certinally importance to have high levels of it such that there's normal people bone development and vitamin D deficiency has been correlated with an

increased risk of the term labor. Now, given the fact that we are INMPLVID, COVID has a tendency to attack more readily those people that are vitamin D divisions. So for any woman out there was pregnant of color, it is very important for you to be having a supplement. UM. One thing that I would admize it's for you to ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level. Any pregnant woman that grace us my office, she's automatically getting a D level chat question for you. So I really

like this. UM, let's go to a two shot at Dr Gaither and not Jeremiah. UM. I really like this because one of the things that I think about as I'm in this age, in this realm of children, is something that is on top of mind. And let's face it, being in l a being a woman that is about her career and in a vision, you know, that's something

that you want to ensure that everything's okay. And So I've had friends and different people that have been close to me that have been affected by five boys, and I can't help but think about that when we're talking

about being in the child bearing years years. But then also understand the vitamin D because I understand become one and one, and while we're talking about the disparity of how what is it three to four women more times likely to die than white women while being pregnant, one can only wonder what's going on here and how important that vitamin D has taking place when it comes to

even the womb that is going to carry this baby. Absolutely, So that's why I am recommend that every woman in childbearing age or pregnant anything with the vitamin D level. It's good to have a level of nnograms. Your physician can check your love, we can get your own kids. There's a great website called our dot org where it has a lot of one serious vitamins UM. You can

get your own kit. You can UM involved in research concerning vitamin D. So it's a great UM option for you to have if you want to check your own by the D level. Okay, so let's just talk a little bit about the stats and what's going on. So I understand an article that you published right, although the US is spending a hundred and eleven billion dollars per year. Okay, and this is on maternal, prenatal and newborn care with and roughly what a thirty year time span death Black

maternal deaths have increased a hundred and fifty percent. Is it just because of vitamin D? What's going on? Well, you know, I think it's multime factorial. Um, let's list some of the things. Lack of prenatal care or if you go to natal care you're going late call morbid conditions that have you know, basically expanded and cause problems. Um. You have to contend with lack of insurance. Um, you have to contend with a system that may not be

that nice. Two people of color contending with implusive bias and racism, women that being listened to, women not being offered the same treatment, procedures, et cetera that are offered to other people who are not melonated. Um. So it's a multi faceted issue. And so while we see these issues, how do we attack them or how do we approach them? Well, I think it kind of starts. It's fine, And there have been leg flavors, particularly like Senator Adams who was

proposing legislation to address black maternal mentality. Okay, and there it's a well bulleted bull bill sorry that that deals with specific issues the ability to get pre named here, the ability to have genetic tests and attention to those women who are imprisoned, the ability to have UH expanded medicaid, you know in that fourth trimester, and the fourth trimester

refers to the both partum period. So there are a whole list of things that specifically address some of the issues that are see in in UH Elevated Black It's just basketballs me when you really think about it, how there's so many pressures that's coming left and right, and just in the times that we're in and we're talking to all the racial disparities, and people can turn around and say, oh, that was yester years not understanding the ripple down effect that it affects a three sixty view.

And it's so interesting how people can understand how a child can perhaps be traumatized in life and what let's just say a thirty year old in thirty and say in the first five years be traumatized and can understand why this person is going in the direction of their life. And when you talk about certain peoples of color, those of Melan and Hugh, we're talking hundreds and hundreds of years. So now that it is just a point of where we're working in society. We're talking about the genetic genetic

makeup of our existence. And I'm so glad we're having this conversation because I was talking to a good girlfriend of mine, and I don't think people are at hearing, uh to how serious it is when you are expecting a child or trying to have a child, about the traumas that it does happen in your life. I remember when I was you know, my mom passed away with inel but one of the things that she told me she said don. She never said don, she said don.

You know, having a baby is like going through death because your body is going through so much of a metamorphosis. And so now we have a situation as you're explaining things that have been systemic, things that have been passed down in a mental place. Um, that's taken on the physical and how it's another slash so to speak to

the development of people of color their existence. H Well, you know what's interesting, Um, there's a book around called Medical approchetype by Harriett Washington, and it talks about the healthcare of people of color in the United States and flavory onward. What we're seeing nothing new. I think the attention that's being put to it now is due to the fact that we have the Internet, we have social media, and so people are physically seeing it. Okay, but what

we're seeing it's really nothing new, unfortunately. So and I guess, um, I appreciate you because I think these kind of conversations need to happen. Um. I heard a friend just shutting light just more on fertility and just what it means. You know, I'm not sure if it's in the forefront of a lot of people of color, because oftentimes it's like, hey, you better not go out there and get pregnant. It's like a slash of no, no, no. While in other cultures,

I understand that it's something that's pre planned. You know, there's a fund that you may put together that you may hit to your your medical whether it's the fun for you to freeze your eggs. So it's something that the conversation is on top of mine and where the placement and where you are. And as I see these more conversations happening. I think of even a close family member experiencing preclamsia, a serious moment where could have lost

her life, and for some they've never even heard about it. Yeah, I'm a little uh jaded. As far as individuals not knowing about certain medical conditions that are relatively common, you have to wonder what kind of conversations are being had with their healthcare providers, and then that they don't know about about the most basic things that can happen during pregnancy like diabetes and so and so on. So it's important to have shows like this that that spread information.

Thank you, because you know, I think oftentimes, um, when you're even selecting your insurance provider, to even know what exactly are you selecting and what it means understanding that there are books out there that explain with the code. So depending on your family, depending on your dynamic, pretending on your individual needs, ensuring that the coverage is under there, do you have a recommendation as a site or where is the first go to to understand coverage? Maybe in

the O, B, G Y N world. Um, that's an interesting question. I cannot say that I have a go to. I think that if you're looking for a particular physician of color, I think it might be proven for you to look at various UH websites or organizations. UH. There's black doctor dot org. There is the National Medical Association that has branches in every UH state. UH there are headquarters in Washington, and it's helpful to maybe reach out to them UH and see what positions are in your

area and what insurances they take. Okay, because I know even for myself of just looking at sometimes it's hard. It's like it's no not knowing where to go. And it's good to know that you can have a site such as black doctor dot org that you can give people that look like you can understand the converse, station

can understand the dized disparities that you're experiencing. So along with the idea of we're talking about the lack of vitamin D and comes to fertility, we understand that there's an overarching theme as well of just women's health overall, talking about obesity and diabetes, and we know that that's something that plagues the African American culture. Can you give us some more insight on that. Well, here's the thing. When you look at what your grandparents, great great grandparents,

and pretty much ape from the land. I would say that most people in the United States, you know, they hail um southern roots. Now, the diet was primarily at that time Alan from the earth. Um, we're no additives to it. Whereas now you look at our diet, everything is packaged, process best and filled with sugar corn syrup.

So you know your diet concludes to your health. Uh, your diet built sugar increases your risk for a reason, obesity as they become a pandemic in the black community, and as such, you see a lot of things coming out of that. You see diabetes, you see heart disease, you see high blood pressure. So now you've got a whole the whole generation of people who have been impacted by their diet who now have these comorbidities. Wow. And it's interesting that when you talk about how systemic racism

place a factor. Um, there's a time when I was on public assistance, so I would have to go in the neighborhoods to go to my instrength. And if you look around at places to eat, everything is processed. And I'm talking mounts down where it's like, well, what is in that Burger, So the option isn't even there. And even for myself, where I've seen a huge change in my lifestyle is that I blended in a bit of a vegan diet. Me too, Come on now, me too. And you know that there is something said or a

vegan diet. It's certainly hard helping. We're not being exposed to the hormones that have been interested into Um, it's readily digest helpful for the gut bio. You know, in your gut bio has been down to be very much correlated with your health. So you know I'm not a but at least three to four days, uh, you know, I'm eating diet and it feels good. I think also too,

it's a thing where we have to realize the balance. Um. You know, I briefly mentioned I talked about the proclampsia, but even when you're looking at obesity, to me, it's just pressure restriction and like a lot of the weight and if it's a lot of the foods and the process and it's like a moment of things need to flow through and relax. And when we were talking about you said, hey, I'm doing it three to four times

a week. I think it's that flexibility of balance. And that's when I try to talk about with vitamin D as well. I talk about how being you are your greatest assect. And it's about a balance because when you talk about your life, bank accounts about what you put in and what you take out. And let's face it, if you you may not be a person that is going to be three sixty five seven days a week where you're eating vegan. But it's just taking the first

step and figuring out ways to balance. I think that we as the people really need to look at what we're eating and really kind of grow back to how your ancestors in okay, in in my family, the women in a long time, you know, and longevity life feel is related to your diet. You know, my great grandmother lived, to be honest, it before she lived off the earth. You know, my my grandmother, Um, you know, she she's come at the age of seventy from heart disease. But

then I looked at which about a fried foods you know. Um, so you learned and you to think about what is best and and how we should move forward in life by reculating your diet. And that's the mastery. Um. To really have control of self. And that's why I really love um the bridge and how you're coming in and you're talking about the importance of vitamin d UM because it's about just shedding lights on things such as this to understand that you have to actively make a decision

to love yourself and to do better. Because we can't control the cars that we are dealt and like, but you can control how you play it. So, yes, you may be in a situation where readily accessible the food that you need, or perhaps you may have some pre existing condition, but it's about the right now and what you can do from there, because then you realize that it only only affects you, but generations succum it does

it does? You know? Best moms who have dieges, you know, get pregnant, end up having big babies, and those babies are at any treatment of developing die in childhood as well as into adult. So I mean, we've got a generation now that we haven't seen years ago that are heavy and diabetic as children. It can be prevented. And we also you know, see the development factor of just young boys and girls and like you said, contributing to

the food. Yeah, all those normals. So let me ask you this, UM, I want to get some clarity on this vitamin D. Do you get that from dairy? You can? You know, vitamin D is pretty much limited and a lot of the things that we so primarily dairy, you get vitamin D from, but not a lot. Now why is it that some doctors may recommend that? Right? And when we look at dairy I hear there's a large percent is of actually how much pus is in dairy.

And when you talk about that this milk that belongs to a cow is to uh help with nutrients of a four pounds or however calf, why are we as humans okay with drinking that. That's a good point and I personally have thought about that. Um. For those who wish to have that, they do have to recognize that there are a lot of things and cows milk that really don't sit well sometimes with with some humans, the

lactose intolerance. And then as you said, you know there are things in cows milk that they are not for humans per se. So you've got other alternatives soy milk, almond milk, but the vitamin D level it is not there in comparison account Okay, So I'm sure somebody's watching, somebody's listening. They're like, okay, we get it. You're talking about vitamin D down, you're talking about inspiring Dr Gay there, you're talking about vitamin D with pregnancy. But what if

you don't know what your vitamin D levels are? How do you find them and what should they be? Ask your doctor check your levels, or you can go to this website power dot org get your own kit. Check it. Your level should be for nanograms permanent leader that's best. And the kid, uh you know, it's very simple. Fill out the questionnaire, complete the easy use kit and then your results you can get online the conveyance and seven

to ten days. Mm hmm. So tell me what is the importance because I see in this kid there's also a test with magnesium and omega three. How does that play a factor? Well, magnesium is a great entry and it's important in your body. It's important for your muscle function, it's important for curtia bascular health. Omega three's are again important for brain functions and particularly if you're pregnant, it's really helpful for people brain development. Oh wow, mm hmm.

You can get a mega threes in in in seven. Yeah, it's a good source. But those three nutrients are pretty important for bodily function. You know. I had a chance so check out some other interviews and you talked about even looking at the decades of life that there are certain nutrients that people need to add or envitamins depending on what age you are in decades you you are

in life. Can you talk about that a little bit? Well, Um, I would say, if you're in your child going news and you're looking to get pregnant readily, some things that you should take full of acid. Full of acid is really important in fetal brain development. And if you've been on oral contraceptives prior to trying to get that, you know, oral contraceptives can deplete certain vitamins and nutrients in your body.

So if you're wanting to get pregnant and you're getting off of those, please it would be helpful for you to start taking a creat a vitaminal full of asset prior to conception. Okay, So that's one thing that is really important. Um. You should also be supplementing your iron, okay, because pregnancy is going to involve a lot of iron, you know. With that placental function and getting your red blood self together to you know, take into account of

pregnancy effects. So I would say that if you're in your childbearing age, you know, iron full of asset are really pretty important. When you get into your thirties and forties, I think you should really kind of think of looking at supplementing vitamin C. Vitamin C is really good for your skin, you know, and as you get further on in any reach, you know, the skin begins to show science of age, sacks and lines and stuff. So you can take vitamin C not only topically, they're topical, but

also oral. Okay, So I would consider that vitamin C is also important and im function, So when the cold weather comes about, you know, popa vitamin thing. Further on, an aide as muscle functional coins, you might want to start looking at mag supplements, okay, And that's helpful for your muscle function and so forth and so on. Cocute ten it's also important for muscle function, particularly if you know you find it you're waking up with sword muscles

and so forth. You know it's an antioxident and it's good for muscle function. And of course vitamin D well, I have to talk about that you always want to take your vitamin tea. Yeah, yeah, is that a vitamin t um So you talked about interesting now Thomas changing, and it stood out to me that you said, hey, child bearing gears tons of changed. Have the child bearing window change because we see women way down the line. I used the seventies sevent oh carrying the baby. Yeah, well,

I mean, you know, reproductive technologies have expanded. I really did things that have done that you know certainly weren't done years ago. You got you drink transplane, We've got all kinds of iv F procedures. Um, you've got something that's not as pre implantation genetics, and you can know what you're having and whether or not the child has any type of genetic issues. But it's so uh an embryo.

So you know, there are a lot of reproductive technologies that are going on, you know, and women are waiting longer to have kids simply because they might wanna, you know, get their career off the ground, or if they have particular things that preclude them from from their fertility. So you know, it's I mean, it's it's no surprise at this point for me to have fifty year olds and in my practice, I've had quite a few fifty year

olds having their first kids. Really oh yeah, So does this um interfere with the cognitive development of the child, because I hear, like you know, when you're up in age, oftentimes down syndrome and other factors can come to play. That is true, which is why it's important to have early prenatal care and genetic screening. And if you're going through IVYB, you know, there are things that can be done to assess the genetic compliment of the embryo that's involved.

So if you are you have in your idea and future to have a child, but maybe not tomorrow, should you just start taking prenatal vitamins in general, just like as an everyday supplement, I would take a multi vitament. Okay, if you're interested in having a within the next six months, you're trying to get pregnant, activate and start taking your

patent which folic acid. With the folic acid. Okay, that's important because I know, Um, I was talking to a friend and they were just saying, you know, just to stay up on these nutrients. And again, I want to thank you for coming on and talking about this because you know, like I said, vitamins is about expam but it's about being an instrument to your purpose and just looking at the plethora of degrees that you have. Dry you didn't come to plant. I'm studying in school. I'm

still in school. I mean you're at Cornell right now, right, yeah, yeah, I'm getting my MSMBA. What are you doing it for? Well, here's the thing. Medicine has changed, you know. So, yes, I have the nth degree, so I know the critical aspect of things. I have an MPH so I can move around the public health aspect of things. So now with the ms n b A, I can I can have an active knowledge of the financial aspect of things. And it opens up a whole new world for me.

You know, I can be the CEO of something. I can open up my own company. I can't the the limit you believe, the the the things that have come my way, the offers that have come my way. So the world is really my oysture. Oh you better speak. It's from a whole different standpoint. So when it's I shouldn't say. When it's say, and because it's never done, it's to keep going process. What do you hope, um, what's next? What do you hope to achieve with this?

What do you want to see with black maternal health care? I want to see I go to be equity, reproductive equity. I want to ensure that every blood pregnant woman has a good outcome. Okay, I don't want it to be that. I think that's had stepping care. You know, I want

healthy mommy healthy baby. And that's what it's about. You know when you think about life, and just like the vitamin D right just the sun, it shines life, but not for all its own vanity, but to give light to the plants, the very thing that gets food and fruit to us to live. And I guess I'm thinking you because that's the same thing. And what you and I are both doing here shedow lights so that you

can give life for me. And maybe in a motivational aspect of understanding how to love yourself and treat yourself with such so that you can branch onto have an opportunity to have a family, have an opportunity to have doors opening because you decided to be dedicated and to educate yourself, but more importantly, have the opportunity to love your self. Because I'm not sure that we see that enough.

And having you come on talking about vitamin D and the idea of when it comes down to black maternal health, I can't tell you how much that means, because without your kind of work, I would not be here. Well, thank you, and so what would you say are some

of the ways? I know you listed some, and you know I'm just looking up some information at some immediate ways, whether it be as individuals or maybe a collaborative effort in hospitals or in the healthcare realm, that we can take step forwards to improve, whether it be from our doctors, from our dulas or whomever. I think that the first step involves early prenatal care. I think it's important to think about what you're putting in your out I think

those are the two most important things. I think it's important to look at your family members and look at how are they Because how your mother eats, how your grandmother eats, that's how you're taught to eat. So if you can look at those things and kind of make the actually between nutrition outcome, I think it's a huge

first step. That's huge And just to piggyback off of that, you mentioned it earlier, Um, a sense of knowing who you are, and whether it's a sense of Norman's in your family trade, it's kind of like that vitamin D light inside. And I speak about it consistently on my episodes about when you know who you are, you know who's you are, you know your power that you have. And while we look at all these disparities of people of color, it seems as though it's a stem of

being stripped of your identity. Because if I don't know where I've come from, I don't know where I'm going. I don't know where I've been, I don't know where I go. I don't know the genetic makeup of me. So you can tell and do anything, but oh my gosh, one not walking my authority when I know the power of the D look at the life that we said,

thank you. Now, if we want to talk about ancestry, everybody on this earth, woman, you want to talk today, everybody on this earth from a black girl from Africa. Whether or not I think we should acknowledge it, but it is what it is fact, and I hope that we could come together and consistently make it a collective approach because we get so um caught up and the whole divisiveness of life that we forget that we have to collaboratively work together. I mean we see it even

with the the elements of the earth, earth, wind, fire, water. Yes, so it shouldn't be treated as any different now, Dot together, Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. How can someone find you? UM? You can find me on my website dot com and my name is spelled k I A g A I to h R. I'm on Twitter and certainly I'm a New York hospital

in the Bronx. Wow. And also another thing I have UM for my guests before they step out, I always asked them to leave a dose of vitamin Z. Whether it's motivation, it's inspirational, food of thought, just something for somebody to chew on so that it can be a nutrients for their mind by it and soul. What would you have to sign you come from the first people

that work walk the earth, recognize your power. Well, thank you so much, Side to Gather, thank you so much for having this has been fun here we're talking about the power of D and vitamin D. And I want to thank Dr Keisha Gather for coming to the show because you know, we talked about pandemic pregnancy. We talked about what's working and what's not working, but more importantly, how to work ourselves. And that's becoming educated. That's what

snowing what's going on. That's taking the steps to making sure that you take the nutrients so that you can start your family so you can cognitively work and your best self. Because why you are your greatest asset. And this episode was all about you deposit into you. You hear me. You know it feels good to feel good, right, So it's time to love on yourself and take your health to the presidents of your life because what they say, the most precious things are your health and time. One

without the other, you cannot this. So what do you want? Just something to think about? So thank goodness for people like Dr Kishi Gather who are putting this on the forefront so that you can think about what the life you want and how you're living your life. It's some oldo self reflection. Okay. So now it's that time of the show where I want to give you adultsur vitamin D. Okay, So without further ado, this is a quick donce. So today's dolt sur vitamin D is dedicated to being magical.

Would you believe me if I told you that she were magical? Because guess what you are? Did you know that you can attract anything you want out of line? Guess what you can? Sometimes I think that we forget um, the power that we possess, how we have the ability to attract whatever we want out of life. And just like an Ariana Grande's hit song, just like magic, she belts, I get everything I want because I attract it, And so can you. I mean, think about it. It takes

electric currents. You got your positive, you got your negative, that can either retract or attract or repel in a magnetic field. So it's that same electric currents that are in our body and in our brain, and it makes it possible for us to move, for us to think a k a magic. So what are you calling forth in your life? Arianna things that good karma is my aesthetic, keep my conscious clean. That's why I'm so magnetic. Have you actively thought about what you are attracting? They say,

what you think is what you become? So who are you? Or better? Yet, who are you becoming? Are you who you want to be? Take note for Ariana Grande and know that you are just like magic and that you can have anything you want out of life because you can attract it. Well that's it for your dull Survitamin D. I want to make sure you follow me on all social media at Dawn Day Speaks and I want to thank all of you for tuning in. Thank you for being part of my dreams. This is only the beginning,

and I want to thank somebody special, Jeremiah. I wouldn't be able to do this without you. Thank you for stepping up and showing out. And this is just the beginning and for you watching, I can't wait for the next one. So until next time, always remember you are your greatest ass at