FORSYTH, Ga. — Georgia leads the country in maternal mortality rates, which is the number of women who die due to pregnancy or in childbirth.
One Central Georgia non-profit is doing what it can to help lower those numbers and save mothers.
The Birth Center for Natural Deliveries Foundation is having its inaugural gala on Saturday. The money raised will help the foundation, in conjunction with the Birthing Center in Forsyth, help mothers through their pregnancy journeys.
The foundation holds a raffle every month for women who meet income requirements. They give away items like natural prenatal vitamins, pregnancy support belts, compression stockings, and electric pumps for breast feeding.
Dr. Bola Sogade, the chair of the foundation, says it's important to be an advocate for women during this life stage.
"Georgia is at the very bottom, and I started to look to investigate what are the root causes of this high maternal mortality, and the number one conclusion that I came to is that women need to be listened to, especially minority women, just listen to the woman," Sogade said.
Dr. Sogade says one of the main causes of maternal mortality is pre-eclampsia, which is a condition caused by high blood pressure.
A preprogram for the gala will start Saturday at 5:50 p.m. The program should run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The keynote speaker will be Tatyana Ali from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
She and other mothers will be sharing their stories with pregnancy complications. There will also be live music.
Tickets are $20. You can find the link to register, here.