Tonda and Milwaukee Commissioner of Health Bevan Baker at the 2016 HaRUNbee 5k Walk/Run for Healthy Birth Outcomes
July 31, 2017
Written by Tonda Thompson, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Milwaukee LIHF Collaborative
As a former varsity basketball player for Milwaukee Tech High School, I know all too well about sitting on the bench to recharge my mind and body so I could finish the game strong. Our beloved coach Kenneth Williams had no problems saying, “Tonda! Get your head back in the game”, when I was not performing to my best abilities.
In the light of us approaching the end of Mental Health Awareness Month and on the eve of my beloved son’s birthday, I can’t help but to reflect on my mental health journey dealing with the loss of an infant child. Our story has been heavy in the media lately, in connection with pushing the awareness of the racial disparities in birth outcomes within the City of Milwaukee. However, no journalist can really, truly articulate the struggle to pull through the mental effects of infant mortality.
A friend recommended that I seek professional help right after losing Terrell in 2013. That year, 117 babies died in Milwaukee and 117 families, including my own, were in need of vital support. I thought I was tough enough to get through it, so I rejected my friend’s advice. In communities of color, we are taught to be strong and never let anyone see us down. Some of us are taught to just pray and let things mysteriously float away. In my case, prayer was not enough and the pain began to haunt me!
With infant mortality rates being a high concern in Milwaukee among communities of color, especially in Black communities, we must consider the mental experiences that are aligned with birth outcomes, such as depression (grievance) and postpartum depression. According to the City of Milwaukee Health Department, in 2016 for every 1,000 infants, 14.0 deaths from live births occurred for non-Hispanic Blacks as compared to 7.2 for non-Hispanic whites. Although the concern for all babies to be born healthy is very vital, Black babies for the past 5 years have died up to 3 times more than babies who are white. Along with other socioeconomic disparities, infant mortality and still births play a major factor on the well-being of women and families of color.
I am glad that, with the help of Milwaukee Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families and United Way, while volunteering my time as an Americorps member, I received helped along the way through various partners who are connected to the collaborative, such as Catholic Charities and Mental Health America of Wisconsin. I was also connected to other well-respected professionals that helped me get through this difficult time. Because of those connections and the support of my family, I was able to check myself back in to the game of life using a wide range of resources provided to me and my community.
Here’s how you can help: If you know anyone who’s experienced a loss of a fetal or infant child, be mindful that there may be tons of pain behind their smile. Try to walk with them and talk with them. Be their empathetic friend along the way. Never leave their side. And, if possible, be a resourceful guide to help families seek professional help. It may be rejected at first, but understand that it is a step to helping someone check back into the game.
Join Tonda and United Way THIS SATURDAY at the HaRUNbee 5k Walk/Run for Healthy Birth Outcomes. Learn more and register.
Learn more about the work of the Milwaukee LIHF Collaborative and United Way’s Healthy Birth Outcomes initiative.
Are you experiencing, or know someone experiencing, mental health issues? Explore these resources.
Haven Behavioral Health
1409 E. Capitol Dr. #202
414-963-8711
Mental Health America Resource Guide: //www.mhawisconsin.org/milw-resources-search