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Dr. Kim Mulvihill ReportingGiving birth to a stillborn baby is devastating for parents, and many parents never find out why their babies died. Where you live may offer clues to these mysterious deaths.
Suzanne Pullen, Delivered Stillborn Baby Boy: "She came in and she said, 'I'm really sorry Suzanne, I have some bad news, your baby died.'"
Suzanne Pullen's baby died before he was born. A stillbirth at six months.
Heather Brame, Delivered Stillborn Baby Girl: "They did the ultrasound, the Doppler, and discovered no heartbeat. It was very devastating."
Heather Brame says having a stillbirth took away her innocence.
Heather Brame: "No matter what you do, no matter what you eat, no matter how many doctors appointments you have, no matter how much you don't take it for granted, it doesn't always go the way it should."
The loss of a child is inconceivable. It leaves everyone asking why.
Betty Simpson, LCSW, Counsels Bereaved Parents: "You know your parents are going to die, you know your spouse and siblings are doing to die. We're adults. But babies don't die."
Ellen Stein, MD, MPH, Epidemiologist: "A great majority of stillbirths, like prematurity, we don't have the answer for."
What we do know is the risk of having a stillbirth isn't the same for all women. A new study reveals while the risk of having a second stillbirth is high for all women, it is three times higher for African American women.
Ellen Stein, MD, MPH, Epidemiologist: "You can see where the hot spots are for stillbirths."
In the San Francisco Bay area hot spots tell a similar tale. The likelihood of a woman suffering a stillbirth or fetal death up to the age of one is more than twice as high for African American women than for all other women taken together."
Ellen Stein, MD, MPH, Epidemiologist: "That's actually shocking. It's a shocking statistic."
Dr. Ellen Stein is with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. She heads up the Bay Area Data Collaborative, a research project that pools infant mortality data from the nine counties surrounding the Bay.
Ellen Stein, MD, MPH, Epidemiologist: "We are really concerned that the Bay Area be able to look into the problems that affect the lives of mothers and their children on a regional basis."
While experts don't know what's causing the problem, Dr. Stein speculates the environment may play a role.
Ellen Stein, MD, MPH, Epidemiologist: "We're talking about the effects of living in certain neighborhoods. We're talking about the effects of lead paint. We're talking about environmental pollution. We're talking about not having good enough grocery stores."
However, stillbirths also happen in the best of neighborhoods.
Heather Brame: "Don't smoke, you know, eat good food, drink milk, get lots of rest, exercise, and you do all of these things, and everything will be fine"
Sadly, as these women know, that's not always the case. However, talking about it may be the first step in finding answers.
Suzanne Pullen: "We don't know why because we haven't been asking why."
