Mothers in Portsmouth, Virginia were gifted a community-wide baby shower with resources from vendors and maternal health professionals.
The Portsmouth Department of Social Services and the local Delta Sigma Theta Sorority alumnae chapter joined forces to host a community-wide baby shower on April 27, catering to current and expectant mothers.
Resources offered at Saturday’s event were extended to mothers from vendors and a panel of maternal health professionals.
Gray highlighted similar concerns, stating, “We’ve been hearing more and more about the staggering numbers with the infant mortality and black maternal mortality rates that are happening in the city of Portsmouth, so we wanted to have an event to address that.”
Beyond connecting mothers to invaluable resources like doulas to accompany them to appointments, a key objective was empowerment. “We want to help them get to a better state where they understand how to advocate for themselves who they should be talking to, what are the questions they should be asking, what services they should be asking for or even demanding,” Gray said.
Fostering a supportive community network was paramount for these Portsmouth women and families. The sorority endeavored to create an embracing environment where new life could thrive.
Source: Black Enterprise
