When Omari Maynard returned home from the hospital with his life partner, Shamony Gibson, after her second birth, he never expected to be a single father just 13 days later. On September 23, 2019, Shamony safely delivered a healthy baby boy, Khari, via an unplanned cesarean section. But during recovery she experienced shortness of breath and chest pains.

"We advocated. We talked to the doctors. We made the calls. We even had a couple of hospital visits between those 13 days," says her partner, Omari Maynard. "Every time we told them what was going on, how she felt. And every time it was the same answer — make sure she rests, she's probably doing too much. Even when we went to doctor visits, they still didn't give her any of the appropriate things that she needed."

Shamony was a beloved mother, daughter, sister and friend. She’s been described as a talented dancer, performance artist and entrepreneur who loved to travel.

On October 6, 2019, Shamony went into cardiac arrest. After an emergency response and attempts to resuscitate her, Shamony was pronounced dead due to a pulmonary embolism. She was 30 years old.

"Her passing away is a tragedy, it’s horrific," Omari says. "There were so many things that should have happened that would have saved her life … Anari was almost 3, Khari was 2 weeks old. We were a family and the plan was to be a family and do all of this together."

Both during and after birth, women are at an increased risk for blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).^[1] The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate out of any high-income country,^[2] and approximately 80 percent of these deaths are preventable.^[3] Black women are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes than white women, per the CDC.^[4]

Omari is now hoping to change these statistics and support families who also experienced maternal loss through the ARIAH Foundation. The organization he founded with Shamony's mother, Shawnee, and sister, Jasmine, promotes healing for those affected by the maternal health care crisis through artwork, activism and community.

Speaking up during delivery and in the postpartum period

Shamony and Omari wanted a home birth for their second child after they felt their first birthing experience at a hospital didn't go according to their plans. Their first child was born via emergency C-section, and Shamony hoped this time for a VBAC, a vaginal delivery after C-section. For support, they had a midwife and doula on call. After nearly 10 hours of labor, Shamony's care team decided it was time for her to go to the hospital and urged her to have another C-section for the safety of the baby.

During the procedure, the doctors navigated scar tissue and removed fibroids, causing the surgery to last longer than a typical C-section. Longer and more complicated surgeries increase the risk of postpartum complications, including thromboembolic disease. "I really felt like that was the start of her ending at that point," Omari says.

Omari wishes he knew more about the medical care Shamony needed postpartum. "We did go to the doctor and every time we went, we did advocate," Omari says. But even though Shamony was experiencing symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath, hospital staff sent her home without a CT scan, which is one way to check for blood clots.

"I want expectant parents to cover each other with love and do your research," Omari says. "Being proactive is so important … Create the space for you and your birthing partner to feel supported and be supported."

Healing through activism

In the wake of his wife's passing, Omari turned to art for an escape.

"I was able to take these dark emotions, this dark energy, being in a place that I've never been before and physically put them in something," he explains. "Having the opportunity to paint and really just focus on what the next stroke was going to be, what the next plan was going to be allowed me to be hyper focused on something else besides what was actually happening in real space and time."

The healing he found through painting inspired the ARIAH Foundation, which stands for Advancement of Reproductive Innovation Through Artistry and Healing. The foundation offers community programming and educational services that center BIPOC mothers and birthing people. Programming includes trauma, grief and loss support groups, including one for BIPOC men navigating infertility, miscarriage and maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.

Through ARIAH, Omari launched the visual portrait series "In Her Honor" as a tribute to Shamony and 22 other mothers who passed away due to maternal mortality.

"When I was creating art for myself, it was for my own personal healing," he says. "But being able to create the work [for the other fathers] and present it to the community and see how it affected them, it was something that I just didn't expect."

Omari also shared Shamony’s story in the documentary Aftershock, which follows Omari and Bruce McIntyre, who lost his partner, Amber Rose Isaac, after an emergency C-section. The film follows their work seeking justice through legislation and community.

Ultimately, the goal of the ARIAH foundation is to change birthing outcomes for the better. "Those don't happen by doing the same things that we've always done," Omari says. "We really do have to look at ways in order to make sure that everybody's covered — the baby, the mother, the father and the family."

Share your birthing story with the hashtag #BumpDay and call your representatives to pass the Momnibus Act that addresses critical improvements to maternal care. Help us ensure that every expecting parent receives the health care they need and deserve.