Macon Magazine

December 2024/January 2025| maconmagazine.com 59 and went into labor spontaneously at 41 weeks. "I always tell moms, when you wake up and you look at your data, you have to make a decision," said Sylvester. The awareness of their health data might cause expectant or new mothers to reach out for medical intervention, or to adjust simple lifestyle factors aff ecting their health. "We learn our bodies because only then will we be able to advocate properly for ourselves. This means asking for interventions when they're needed, not just taking them, but also making the day-to-day choices that we can make to improve our own outcomes." Sylvester's team is highly aware of social factors and works with women to modify typical wellness advice to suit their needs. What happens if a M.I.S.T. mom can't walk for 20 minutes per day outside because she feels unsafe in her neighborhood? "We teach women how to then thrive inside," said Sylvester. The team might suggest she does two stretches of 10 minutes walking around her apartment, with windows open for fresh air and novel surroundings. She also connects them to outside groups that can provide additional services. According to Sylvester, it's working. Despite Georgia having a C-section rate of 35.2%, the fi fth highest in the nation, she said after working with over 170 moms, she's had only six C-sections. "We have a pledge that we do," enthused Sylvester. "This is my body. I own it. What happens in my body is not a mystery. I'll learn my body so I can trust it, prepare it, and protect it throughout every phase of womanhood." M O M S N E E D M O R E : H O W N O N - P R O V I D E R S P L AY A R O L E All the experts interviewed for this article agreed that there's a need for more maternal support outside of MDs. In an ideal world, "the healthcare team operated like the human body in that you need all the parts to work in alignment from head to toe," explained Callins. "We need to focus on including all related professions in this eff ort such as midwives, nurse practitioners, doulas, lactation support providers, perinatal mental health providers, health educators, social workers, civic and faith-based institutions and so much more." Williams, through the GHRIC, works to bridge the gap between providers and patients with programming focusing on maternal health. He points to the Maternal Health Observership as a prime example. This off ers second year medical students with opportunities to engage in clinical exposure to rural OB/GYNs. The students can witness patient interactions fi rsthand and understand the challenges of rural practice, and also complete a maternal health problem analysis research project. This research, Williams said, has caught the attention of government offi cials with the capacity to create change. "I think the number one thing we need more of is education and awareness," he said. "There are resources in [rural women's] backyards when it comes to healthcare, when it comes to OB/ GYNs, prenatal care for women, and primary care services in general." To fi nd those resources, GHRIC has created a program of community health reporters, who are part of the local fabric and are knowledgeable about the health care landscape in their counties. Eventually, this will turn into an online resource broadly shared to rural citizens. Programs like this extend the responsibility of public health to everyone, which Williams thinks will lead to more care. "Civic leaders, community leaders, faith-based leaders, [are] all people who rural county civilians rely on and trust in. When they ABOVE Dr. Katherine Sylvester poses with Operation M.I.S.T. moms and babies as she supports them through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences.

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