From the start of my pregnancy to the day I gave birth, everything felt confusing and wrong. Even though my Obgyn kept telling me everything was fine, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Our appointments were super quick—often just two minutes long—and he seemed more interested in checking stock prices than talking about my health. After my fourth visit (26 weeks pregnant), I decided to check my insurance paperwork and found a few things that scared me. It said I was extremely high-risk and had diabetes. As a Black woman, I’d heard about how serious these conditions could be and how they could lead to severe problems during pregnancy or even DEATH. I felt my trust in myself slip away as I realized I didn’t have this pregnancy under control, even though I felt fine. My confidence in my Obgyn started to waver as well, because, why wasn’t I told this directly? Was it my fault for not understanding something? Did he give me information that I missed? I called the doctor's office more than ten times, trying to get answers about how to handle these risks, but all I got were automated responses and a new appointment set for six weeks away. Feeling desperate, I decided to do HOURS of research and make changes on my own. I cut out gluten from my diet and started taking a baby aspirin every morning, trying to protect myself without medical advice. All I could do was hope I was making the right choices. I woke up in panics everyday, wondering if my baby was okay. As I tried to figure things out, I realized how serious the mishandling and mistreatment in the healthcare system could be, especially for women like me. If I didn’t take a look at my insurance billing… I could have lost my life and my babies life before it even started! With less than 100 days left of my pregnancy, I began advocating for myself. Here, I will share more about the deadly challenges I faced, how I fought to get the care I needed and deserved and how you can too! Thanks for listening 🖤