WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A recent study from the District’s maternal mortality review committee found that “while Black birthing people constitute roughly half of all births in D.C., they account for 90% of all pregnancy-related deaths.”
Similar alarming statistics across the nation led Layo George to take action a few years after she gave birth to her first child.
“I was so scared that I was going to die because when you’re in that bed, nobody cares if you’re a nurse or a doctor or whatever it is,” she said.
George created Wolomi in 2019 to help other pregnant women and new moms.
“With the help of Wolomi, moms can have on their fingertips – community. They can have on their fingertips ability to reach out to different experts, who are culturally competent,” she said.
Some parts of the app are free, while others will require a subscription.
“Every Sunday, you get a text message that’s written by our midwife,” she said. “She writes different things about how you can communicate with your doctor, taking into account cultural differences and also what you should be focusing on as a woman of color.”
George hopes the tools will save lives.
“We are very focused on solving that tension with the BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Color] population and their healthcare systems. So, all of that information week by week, it’s tailored to that mom,” she said.
The Dunbar High School, and Georgetown University alum, is participating in the 2023 TechStars DC Accelerator Program, which will hold an event on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Arlington, Va.