All posts by Jennifer James

Jennifer James is the founder of Social Good Moms, a global coalition of 3000+ mothers who care about pressing global issues. She has written over 70 articles for the Gates Foundation and has written about women's and girls' issues for ELLE and Cosmo South Africa and Huffington Post's Impact. She has been named a Fast Company Most Generous Social Media Maven, a Nesta Mother of Innovation (UK), and a ONE.org social media gamechanger. She is a recipient of two International Reporting Project fellowships to Zambia and Tanzania and a National Press Foundation Vaccine Fellowship. James has reported about global health from Haiti, Brazil, Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, the Philippines, and Zambia. You can contact Jennifer at socialgoodmoms@gmail.com.
Blog, Maternal Health, Maternal Health in the US, maternal morbidity, maternal mortality

The CDC Releases Newly Updated Maternal Death Statistics in Over a Decade

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United States maternal death statistics that have been used for over a decade have finally been updated. The CDC released 2018 national and state maternal death estimates last week. The numbers have increased dramatically and still remain the worst of any developed country in the world.

Currently, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) is 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2007, the MMR was 12.7 deaths per 100,000 live births. The CDC says the MMR increase largely comes from the new data and collection requirements now on standard death certificates. Starting in 2003, a checkbox requirement was placed on the U.S. Standard Certificate of Death in order to accurately record maternal deaths. The checkboxes are:

  • Not pregnant within past year
  • Pregnant at time of death
  • Not pregnant, but pregnant 43 days to 1 year before death
  • Not pregnant, but pregnant within 42 days of death
  • Unknown if pregnant within the past year
Continue reading The CDC Releases Newly Updated Maternal Death Statistics in Over a Decade →
Blog, Products With a Purpose, Sustainability

[Review] Be More Green With Sustainable, Reusable Water Bottles and Coffee Cups

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I am trying to do my part to live a greener life. I am in no way an expert in living a more sustainable lifestyle, but I am doing little things that make a difference. I am already a stickler when it comes to recycling. My family and I no longer buy water in plastic bottles. Instead we filter our tap water and when we go out we take filtered water in glass containers. And we have nearly cut all meat out of our diets.

One of the things I have wanted to do for awhile now is use more sustainable containers for my tea and coffee because that is one area that I am not working hard enough to change until now.

I received two Fressko products to use and review and I love them! One is a flask that can be used to infuse tea or you can use it to make fruit water and smoothies. So far, it’s been great for tea. The other is a reusable coffee cup.

FRESSKO TOUR FLASK ($34.95)

The Fressko Tour is a 13 oz, BPA-free glass canister. It has double walled glass and a leak-proof bamboo lid. It also has a food grade stainless steel influser for tea. The Tour stays cold for six hours and hot for four hours.

Continue reading [Review] Be More Green With Sustainable, Reusable Water Bottles and Coffee Cups →
Blog, Maternal Health, Maternal Health in the US, maternal morbidity, maternal mortality, Women

Woman Dies From Pregnancy-Related Complications After Waiting Hours in Emergency Room

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You have probably heard the story of Tashonna Ward, the 25-year-old Milwaukee woman who recently spent hours in the emergency room due to shortness of breath and died after waiting too long. Ward was told that she would spend between two to six hours in wait time at the ER according to distressing posts on her Facebook page. Preliminary tests were performed on Ward and showed she had cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart, but she was never admitted despite having chest pains and tightness of breath.

After waiting 2 hours and 29 minutes in the ER, Tashonna Ward and her sister decided to go to urgent care. She never made it. She passed out en route and collapsed and died in the urgent care parking lot. The cause of death: hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

While many reports mentioned the emergency room wait times that led to Ward’s death, a few have reported that she developed cardiomegaly due to pregnancy complications from a miscarriage in March of 2019. In fact, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Report states that the “decedent did develop cardiomegaly during pregnancy.”

“decedent did develop cardiomegaly during pregnancy.”

Milwaukee County Medical Examiner Report from January 14, 2020
Continue reading Woman Dies From Pregnancy-Related Complications After Waiting Hours in Emergency Room →
Blog, Charity, nonprofits, philanthropy, United States

Remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today By Donating to His Historic Sites In Atlanta and Montgomery

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A few years ago I traveled through Alabama on its Civil Rights trail with the Alabama Tourism Board. I am so glad I went on that trip. I learned so much about the Civil Rights movement that I didn’t know and visited poignant historic sites that really brought the movement to life.

Today on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day I want to share some of the places I visited and the ways you can give back to these historic sites so others can learn from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.

The King Center (Atlanta, GA)

The King Center prepares global citizens to create a more just, humane and peaceful world using Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy and methodology. Donate to The King Center.

Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, GA)

Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral was held at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church where his father preached as did he. He remained co-pastor until his death in 1968. The National Park Foundation restored the church and gives tours to those who want to see part of MLK’s early history. Donate to Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Martin Luther King Jr. Birth Home (Atlanta, GA)

Martin Luther King and his siblings were all born in this home. After his death in 1968, this home was turned into a museum. It has been restored with original furniture as well as with toys and linens from the children. National Park Service rangers lead free tours of the home. Donate to the National Park Service.

Dexter Parsonage Museum (Montgomery, AL)

Martin Luther King and his family lived in the Dexter parsonage from 1954 – 1960 . Often bombed, the home still stands and was turned into a museum in 1982. Fortunately no one was hurt during the height of the Civil Rights movement in this home. You can donate to the tourism ministry in order for tours to continue.

Blog, Charity, conservation, Environment and Climate, Products With a Purpose, Sustainability

Jewelry That Gives Back to Oceans

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I have been a bit obsessed lately with two Instagram accounts that I absolutely love: @paulnicklen and @Mitty. Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier respectively are prolific underwater photographers and founders of Seal Legacy, an organization committed to creating healthy and abundant oceans for us and the planet. Some of my favorite Instagram posts of theirs are:

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It's hard to imagine that some people get to call this their backyard. Our @SeaLegacy expedition to beautiful Monterey Bay, California earlier this fall marked a pivotal moment in our work. These whales are relaxed, their enormous bodies bending above the water as they reach over one another to feast on the abundance of anchovies. But it's not all beauty, danger lurks under the surface. Ghost fishing gear, left behind by the local crab fisheries, threaten to entangle these magnificent animals as they travel through the bay in search of food. On another day during this expedition, @Mitty and I and our @sealegacy expedition team encountered a whale entangled in a plastic line from an abandoned crab pot. @SeaLegacy released a new short series that tells the story of what happened and shows solutions to this problem. Please, go to the link in my bio to learn more and find out how you can support solutions to whale entanglements by joining #TheTide. With @nathangarofalos, @jonmccormackphoto, @kyle.roepke, @mitty, @siren_excursions

A post shared by Paul Nicklen (@paulnicklen) on

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The first time I witnessed the complex collaboration that takes place underwater when a family of orcas works together to corral a school of herring, I was blown away. Working in the dark waters of a fjord in northern Norway, I slipped into the water, thinking I would be shielded from the cold in my drysuit, and I was shocked to get a rush of freezing water running down my belly and into my right leg. Inadvertently, I had left a tiny bit of the zipper open and I was immediately soaked. I would love to tell you I was able to close the zipper, but holding a camera with one hand and working with heavy neoprene gloves, it was almost impossible. Instead, I decided to focus on the amazing spectacle in front of me. As I watched the orcas work together, herding the school of little silver fish underwater in a beautifully-coordinated ballet in which every member of the pod helped in the effort and they all took turns to eat, I barely noticed how cold I was.

A post shared by Cristina Mittermeier (@mitty) on

It’s funny: As much as I love the oceans I don’t really visit them often. Sure, I fly over them often and at long stretches and I take photos of the ocean from a distance like the one above that I took in the Philippines, but I never get up close and personal to the ocean. I would like to change that one day. In the meantime I live vicariously through Nicklen and Mittermeier. Also, as I sat looking at their work I wondered how I can help the oceans in my own little way and you can, too. Here are jewelry companies that have beautiful bling while also giving back to oceans, ocean clean-ups, reefs, and ocean life.

Continue reading Jewelry That Gives Back to Oceans →