NORFOLK, Va. — Infant mortality is rising across the United States, according to the CDC. It is the first rise in infant deaths we've seen in roughly 20 years.
The rates, the CDC reports, are especially high for Black and Native American mothers. The rise occurred at the tail end of the pandemic and as more women dealt with underlying medical conditions like high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.
This is a concern to Hampton Roads parents and medical professionals alike. That's why they're doing everything they can to help prevent loss and help those through it if it does happen.
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Heather Wilson is a mother in Virginia Beach. She knows the pain that comes with losing a baby.
"I went to the hospital and there was no heartbeat," said Wilson, Virginia Beach mother and founder of Kennedy's Angel Gowns.
She had a normal pregnancy before her daughter Kennedy was stillborn at 36 weeks.
"We were scheduled to deliver her the following week," explained Wilson. "My placenta erupted and detached and she essentially suffocated."
That was in 2009.
The heartache hasn't been forgotten.
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"I never knew there was such a high percentage of women, let alone Black women, who have a higher percentage of stillbirths," said Wilson. "I was beyond lonely. Beyond just stressed. Guilt. I felt like it was something I did."
"Every single family I have worked with, mom has felt, 'What did I do?' 'Did I do something?' Even though she didn't," explained Deborah Floyd, perinatal bereavement coordinator at Sentara Norfolk General.
To cope, Sentara offers parental bereavement services.
Floyd is one of the people there to help parents immediately after a loss, whether it's miscarriage, stillbirth or other perinatal loss.
"This is still a disenfranchised grief," said Floyd. "People don't want to talk about it and it does happen more than we realize as a society."
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She said she sees roughly 20 grieving families a month. She added that Sentara Norfolk General often takes on mothers with higher-risk pregnancies to begin with.
"Death is a part of life, but this death is very unique because our children aren't supposed to go before we do," said Floyd.
As the bereavement team works to console and reassure, others at the hospital do everything they can to give expectant families the best chance for health.
Dr. Amber Price looks out for infant loss risk factors. She explained that the top causes in Hampton Roads for loss are birth defects and preterm birth. The CDC reports one in 10 babies in Virginia are born preterm.
Dr. Price added that another problem in our region is too many mothers not getting prenatal care.
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"...I think as a society that's sometimes really hard to understand, but we don't walk in those people's shoes," said Dr. Price, president of Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center/lead for women's high-performance team for Sentara. "Sometimes, it's just incredibly difficult to access that care. If you live somewhere where the practice that's available doesn't take your insurance, you don't have insurance."
She encourages families to reach out to find both prenatal and postnatal solutions.
"Our job is to take care of somebody that walks into the hospital no matter what their circumstances [are]," said Dr. Price. "We put in a tremendous amount of effort in our training, our equipment, in physicians that are immediately available and in the resources in the community so we can immediately help prevent an unnecessary loss."
Loss can still happen if everything's done right.
Floyd said in that case, they help give parents a few more memories.
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Sentara Norfolk General has a quiet, lavender-colored room called the Butterfly Suite. It was donated by Wilson. It's a dedicated space for bereavement. There, parents find a cooling device called a Caring Cradle.
"It's the gift of time," said Floyd.
It's one of several cooling devices at area hospitals that regulate the baby's temperature as parents process the loss.
Memories are a key piece of Wilson's healing too.
Stitch by stitch, she helps other parents. Several years after her loss she started Kennedy's Angel Gowns. The nonprofit offers free burial outfits made from donated wedding gowns. The tiny outfits are sewn by Wilson herself.
"In the beginning, it was just me sewing the gowns... then, we realized how many gowns we needed," said Wilson. "It kind of grew this village, this club, that no one wants to be a part of but that there's so many of us in."
She said now, a group helps her sew. There, they are able to break the silence on miscarriage and loss.
It was all born out of love for her daughter.
"It's her legacy," said Wilson. "Every stitch I sew, it honors her."
She added that if you've experienced loss, you're not alone.
"Don't feel like you're alone because there is help out here and there is hope out here," said Wilson.
Find resources for safer pregnancies here.
Find resources for loss here.
More resources are available here.
Each year, Sentara sets up a Memorial Tree over the winter holidays. There, parents can make personalized ornaments and hang them in honor of their baby.
