As I said, get ready!⁣ ⁣ We’re fired up and will not take this attack on our reproductive rights and BASIC medical care sitting down!⁣ ⁣ Myself + 2 Jen(n)s are coming your way to help amplify, assist and support those who need it!⁣ ⁣ Stay tuned for what we have in store….⁣ ⁣ It will be bold. ⁣ ⁣ It will be fearless.⁣ ⁣ And it will be disruptive. ⁣ ⁣ #reproductivehealth #reproductiverights #reproductivejustice

Hahaha just like some of my homies (ehem, @austinchiangmd lol), got caught up in the AI yearbook realness.⁣ ⁣ High school was such a hard time for me. I just didn’t feel like I belonged and I wanted it to be over and to move on to something different. I’m sure many folks felt like I did. Hell, I think there are many teens now that feel this way. ⁣ ⁣ Let’s normalize being awkward and not being super sure or confident. There’s nothing wrong with that - especially when you’re trying to figure out who you are. ⁣ ⁣ Enjoy these hilarious 90s yearbook pics! I was not this cool in the 90s lol. ⁣ ⁣ #ai #yearbook #drheathershealth

In honor of Midwifery Week, I would like us to revisit this interview I had with @sanantonionursemidwife ⁣ She is such a light and she shared her thoughts about what it’s like being a midwife in our country, right now. I spoke to her last fall, after the Dobbs decision about what life is like for her in Texas, providing reproductive healthcare.⁣ ⁣ Take some time to listen to her and give her a follow! She does great work!⁣ ⁣ Also, tag your favorite midwives in the comments….I want folks to know where they can find good healthcare!⁣ ⁣ This video was a collaboration with @themeteor @obs4rj, Firebrand, and @iwillharness⁣ ⁣ Director: Amy Elliott⁣ Editor: @classiccallaghan⁣ DP: Pat Blackard⁣ Camera: Tony Lopez⁣ Sound: Chris Kupeli⁣ Field Producer: Karen Bernstein⁣ ⁣ #midwiferyweek #midwives #midwife #reproductivehealth #drheathershealth

We need more midwifery care in the US. ⁣ ⁣ I’m saying it flat out and I want that to be the take home message for this post. ⁣ ⁣ In many countries that have better birth outcomes, midwifery care is at the center of their birthing care. Midwives are skilled at their jobs and provide excellent care. ⁣ ⁣ In the US, a big part of the reason why midwifery care is not as prominent is due to the villainization of midwifery by namely, White male obstetricians who were threatened by Grand Midwives who provided care to many folks having babies in the past. Many of these midwives were Black women and their communities trusted them. These biases and laws that were created to limit their scope are still around today and has affected birthing care greatly. ⁣ ⁣ Women like my great grandmother had excellent birth outcomes for those she cared for. I am so proud that she is an ancestor and hope that we can honor these women. For so long, the work they did has gone overlooked but they held down our communities and we should never forget them!⁣ ⁣ I hope that when we think about how to improve these birthing outcomes, we expand access to midwifery care (this means training more midwives, ensuring insurance coverage for their care, allowing them to practice their full scope of care).⁣ ⁣ #grandmidwives #midwiferyweek #drheathershealth

People are worried about the wrong damn things. ⁣ ⁣ It’s just painful to watch sometimes.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” - Desmond Tutu⁣ ⁣ If you are not speaking up to your family, friends, and folks around you when they spout hateful and flat out wrong rhetoric, you are not absolved. By not addressing these issues that you know are wrong, you are actively supporting these ills.⁣ ⁣ As a medical professional, I expect that when folks are spewing anti-science drivel in the name of harming others, those who are also medical professionals would stand up to that. Clearly, this doesn’t happen. And so I’m calling on folks, including Dr. Ramaswamy, to do better. Do better for your patients. Do better for your community.

Ok, life update…⁣ ⁣ I found a couple of gray pubes and I’m not sure how to feel about them lol. ⁣ ⁣ ✨Welcome to my 40s✨⁣ ⁣ We can go gray both on our heads and in our pubic areas (and in my case, also my nose hairs lol) and that is a normal part of aging. We can start seeing these changes most commonly in our 30s and 40s!⁣ ⁣ As there are aesthetic concerns for most things, I’m sure dying pubic hair has come across a few people’s minds. FYI, probably not a good idea. The vulva is a super sensitive area and the chemicals in hair dye will likely cause inflammation, allergies, and may even cause things like yeast or BV. ⁣ ⁣ So I guess I’ll be aging gracefully down there?⁣ ⁣ Anyone else freaking out about going gray? Lol⁣ ⁣ #goinggray #drheathershealth #40andfabulous

Y’ALL! Don’t let them tell you they’re too big for a condom. ⁣ ⁣ As you can see, I was able to put my hands in these NYC free condoms. These aren’t magnums or any special ones. ⁣ ⁣ Be safe out there…because chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis…and pregnancy are always outside. ⁣ ⁣ Also, happy world contraception day!⁣ ⁣ Love y’all 🤸🏾‍♀️✨⁣ ⁣ #drheatherhealth #safetyfirst⁣ #worldcontraceptionday

How did this Nigerian Jamaican American woman get the name Heather?⁣ ⁣ Well, according to my mom, she just really liked the name. ⁣ ⁣ Part of me wonders if some of the consideration behind the choice in my name was how palatable it would be in a society that takes race and ethnicity into account. I would already have an easily recognizable “ethnic” last name. Would giving me a name like Heather cause folks who read my resume to think that I wasn’t a Black woman?⁣ ⁣ My mom actually follows me on IG and I’ve never asked her if she named me Heather to improve my prospects for school and employment. I’m sure we’ll now have this conversation because I brought it up on here lol. ⁣ ⁣ All I know is that for a part of my childhood, I resented having a name that my classmates called a “white” name. Now, it’s just part of who I am. ⁣ ⁣ #drheathershealth

Last week, I jumped back into doing more public facing work for the first time in a few months. ⁣ ⁣ I spoke at @womeninmedicinesummit about what community activism can look like as a doctor. ⁣ ⁣ It’s interesting that activism is described as “direct action for or against a controversial issue.” In my opinion, bodily autonomy, healthcare, equity, and justice shouldn’t be controversial issues. Additionally, I think taking a stance on these issues shouldn’t be viewed as activism. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same view on this. ⁣ ⁣ Showing up and relating the experiences of my patients, my community, my family, friends, and even myself can feel like a lot. ⁣ ⁣ Will I relay everything that needs to be relayed? ⁣ What qualifies me to speak on their behalf? Am I the best voice for this? ⁣ ⁣ I’ve struggled with those thoughts because it can feel overwhelming. In the past few months, I’ve really taken some time to realize that I can only do the best I can. Hopefully others will pick up things when I fall short so that we can move forward and make this world a little better for us all. ⁣ ⁣ I say all of this to remind us all that we as individuals can do great things for our communities and world and it doesn’t have to be on a grand scale. It doesn’t have to look pretty. You don’t always have to be perfect. It’s about us working together and being fearless about using our voices. ⁣ ⁣ And you can take breaks because unfortunately, the problems will still be there because it will take awhile to fix them. ⁣ ⁣ #communityactivism #wimsummit #drheathershealth

Hi. ⁣ ⁣ I’m still alive. ⁣ ⁣ I’ve been taking it slow these last few months because I’ve needed to. ⁣ ⁣ I’ve had some changes in my life (mostly positive) that have required me to really prioritize my health and myself. This has meant that I’ve had to slow down in some ways in order to show up best for myself, my family, my friends, and my patients. ⁣ ⁣ I plan on being more present on the socials again and hope y’all are still down to chat and all that jazz!⁣ ⁣ This pic is from Friday when I saw @wutangclan for the first time. It was epic!!!⁣ ⁣ #drheathershealth

Psssst….y’alll…they got leprosy in Florida. ⁣ ⁣ Yup, there’s an outbreak of leprosy in Central Florida. Yeah, the leprosy you read about in books like the Bible. ⁣ ⁣ First things first - we can treat it and cure it y’all! No need to feel like people need to live in special facilities or compounds with this illness. ⁣ ⁣ It’s unlikely due to some sort of catastrophic plague or something. Usually, armadillos are the animals that transmit leprosy but it seems like that may not have been the case in Florida. ⁣ ⁣ Also, you have to have close, pretty much intimate contact with a person to get it. You are unlikely to get it from shaking someone’s hand, being in the same store as a person with leprosy, or passing by them on the street. ⁣ ⁣ If you have weird skin changes (lumps, bumps, rashes, with new numbness) and you’re in or around Central Florida, call a healthcare provider and get checked out!⁣ ⁣ #florida #floridaman #leprosy #drheathershealth