Tag: pregnancy

The number of Georgia women who die from pregnancy-related causes is startling: According to 2018 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state’s rate of such deaths was more than double that of California, and, in many recent years, that rate has been the highest in the country.

Our culture loves pregnant women, but once the baby is born, all that attention disappears. Postpartum support groups can be helpful for lonely parents seeking advice and camaraderie, but finding them can be difficult.

For weeks before her viral speech on the Georgia Senate floor, Jen Jordan had been listening to the debate around HB 481 (a.k.a. the "heartbeat bill") but said she hadn’t heard any talk—honest talk—about how the bill would impact women in real, messy terms.

Legislation that seeks to ban the majority of abortions in Georgia, HB 481, is up for a vote in the state Senate as early as this week. Here are a few of the groups who would be disproportionately impacted by Georgia’s heartbeat bill if it becomes law and goes into effect.

I kept glancing in the direction of Twin B. The staff was huddled around the baby, and I saw they were moving more quickly than they would for a normal newborn. I caught the eye of the attending neonatologist, who shook her head. I felt sick.

I arrived in the hospital room to find a pregnant woman writhing in pain. On the screen, I immediately saw something odd. The baby was awkwardly positioned, and its heart rate was super low. I realized we had to deliver her right away.

I definitely stood out among the cancer patients on my floor. But I’d also see patients who had six months left to live. Talking with them while I sat there pregnant, it totally changed the way I think about life and how precious it is.

The one thing I prayed the hardest for was to hear her cry. I just thought, If I hear her make some sort of sound, it means she’ll be okay. When Paisley came out, I heard a noise.

The best stories each week about Atlanta, from Atlanta-based writers, and beyond.

When Clare Schexnyder was expecting her first child in 2005, it was hard to find exercise classes aimed at mothers-to-be. So she came up with Oh Baby! Fitness.