Dr. Amanda Williams:
I think some of the top pieces of advice that I would give is, number one, never interact with the medical system alone.
Doctors, nurses, great hearts, wonderful people — I have spent my entire career being an OB-GYN physician. But they're super busy. They get distracted easily. And they are constantly, in their head, making connections. That is how we make diagnoses. Yet it's also how we make assumptions. And those assumptions can be wrong.
So have someone with you, whether it's your sister, your mother, your partner, your doula, to be an advocate for you. Also, I highly recommend getting culturally concordant care. So, we know there's plenty of data to support that it's not just nice to have someone from a similar background who knows people from your background well. It actually is associated with safer birth outcomes.
And then, finally, get your provider used to hearing your voice. So always come with questions. Always have a few things written down ahead of time, so that they get used to you being an advocate. And then, finally, I would say wraparound services, so to think about the things that probably should be part of traditional care, but aren't, things like doula support, things like lactation support, mental health, nutrition, those pieces of the puzzle that are often forgotten, yet are an important part of people's well-being and safety.
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