For Mary Towers, Nurturing Pregnant Mothers and Families Is a Calling

Mary Towers performs a vital role in an organization that’s supporting some of the most vulnerable young children and pregnant mothers in Illinois—helping to make a valuable (in some cases, possibly lifesaving) difference, particularly for the BIPOC community.

Towers is a Senior Program Advisor with Start Early’s Home Visiting and Doula Network in Chicago—and provides technical assistance and professional development to doula and home visiting programs across the state of Illinois.

“We partner with communities to provide direct services to pregnant and birthing individuals who are residing in some of the most under-resourced neighborhoods here in Chicago and throughout Illinois,” Towers tells Parade. 

Towers seems to have been preparing for this calling throughout her entire career. A licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience working in social services, she draws on experience from her previous roles as a therapist, home visitor and an organizational leader with several maternal health programs where she coordinated services to pregnant and parenting families in under-served communities.

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Pushing for Equality in Early Learning 

Start Early, a nonprofit organization with public and private partnerships, creates and oversees programs to help make early learning services accessible to all children. “We have been champions of quality early learning for decades, with a consistent focus on closing the opportunity gap for our youngest learners,” says Towers.

The payoff spreads far beyond the Illinois areas they serve directly because Towers and other Start Early leaders have brainstormed with nonprofits and educational leaders from around the country. “Nationally, we partner with early learning champions to share resources and proven strategies with decision makers, collaborators and advocates,” Towers says. “We empower community leaders across the country to elevate standards of early learning and care.”

Towers believes that by pooling their knowledge and expertise—and sharing successful tactics that have produced positive results—organizations like Start Early can promote progress that will have long-term benefits. “We’re committed to continue working with local, state and federal early learning leaders to meet the tremendous needs of all families with young children,” she says. “Together, we’ll have greater reach and impact on generations.”

Addressing a Disturbing Maternal Health Crisis 

In addition to early learning, another high-priority issue for Start Early is maternal health. Towers cites some shocking statistics: Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related condition than white women, and are twice as likely to lose an infant to premature death. The news is even grimmer in Chicago specifically, where Black women are almost six times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related condition compared to white women.

“Despite medical and technology advancements, maternal and infant mortality rates are significantly higher in the United States than any other industrialized country, and Black women experience disproportionate access to maternal health care, which puts them at an increased risk for poor outcomes compared to their white peers,” Towers says.

Towers and her colleagues are working hard to change that scary outlook for mothers and babies in their community. Start Early’s onsite Healthy Parents and Babies Program provides direct doula and home visiting services to families in the Chicago area, while the organization’s network funds over 30 related programs in Illinois—including ten in Chicago. Last year, Start Early’s Home Visiting and Doula Network served nearly 1,500 families through over 18,000 home visits.

The program focuses on providing much-needed support before, during and immediately after childbirth, while also educating families about health issues and safety net resources available to them.

“Our doulas are trained professionals that work with pregnant families to promote health on a continuum of pregnancy, childbirth and post-natal care,” Towers says. “Services are aimed to enhance birthing persons’ sense of self-advocacy through the development of a birth plan and educational support around various topics such as breastfeeding, prenatal care, detecting and preventing diseases, understanding different medical interventions, patient rights, and other childbirth and postpartum education.”

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Making a Difference, One Family at a Time

Towers and her team see the direct impact of their work on a daily basis. She recalls one participant who enrolled in a home visiting and doula program during the second trimester of her pregnancy. During her intake, she reported having a past fainting episode where she felt momentarily lightheaded. The woman said she had shared these symptoms with her medical provider, but felt her symptoms were minimized and she was told that she was “just tired and needed rest.” 

After being connected with a doula, the woman learned more about her rights as a patient and the need to push for further medical attention. Towers says the woman ended up spending a week in the hospital after being diagnosed with hyperemesis (a condition that can cause severe nausea and vomiting) and also later learned she had developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which can cause the heart rate to speed up when the person gets up after sitting or lying down.

Thankfully, the woman was successfully treated and recovered. “With the doula’s support, this mother was able to receive proper medical treatment and mitigate further pregnancy and labor-related complications,” Towers says. “Mom later delivered a healthy baby boy with whom she initiated breastfeeding. Today, both mother and baby are doing well and continue to receive post-partum home visiting services.”

Related: The #1 Early Pregnancy Sign Most People Miss, According to an OB/GYN

Passionate About the Cause 

Towers says supporting pregnant mothers and young children is personally meaningful to her. “Maternal health is a subject that is near and dear to my heart,” she says. “Having two close family members, and also one friend of the family who’s been directly impacted by both maternal and infant mortality makes this more personal and it feels more like a mission than work.”

She is also proud of the work that her organization and the network they support perform in support of this important mission: “I’m glad to be a part of an organization that is an active part of the solution! Start Early works with community leaders and other experts to create a sense of urgency among the public to act and to drive systemic change so that thousands more birthing parents, unborn babies and all children in the earliest years can thrive.”

Next up, meet the woman who is breaking down racial barriers one lap at a time. 

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