SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to a special edition of For Your Health News: Your Health, Your News, Your Power, driven by the National Minority Quality Forum. I am your host, Ajwa Chimating, and I am so pleased to talk with a lady that probably doesn't need an introduction, but I'm going to attempt to anyway. She is an actress, an entrepreneur, and maybe the next Oprah. Okay. She is Kiki Palmer, and she's a mom, and we're here to have a mom-to-mom conversation about motherhood, something called RSV. What is that? And what we do to protect our children. Kiki, it's such a pleasure talking with you this afternoon.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Yes, I'm so glad to be here with you as well and talking about nothing I love more than motherhood.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Yes. Talk to me about, you know, those first feelings that you had when you learned that you were becoming a mom. What ran through your mind? What were the things that jumped to your mind? Can you share?

SPEAKER_01 1:32

My greatest dream come true. My greatest dream come true. I always wanted to be a mother. You know what I'm saying? I was one of those people that always playing house, wanted somebody, wanted somebody to be my baby. Um, and so when I when I realized that I was going to become a mother, I realized that God had answered my prayers and the time had finally come. And um, it was just the best day of my life.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Yes, and then all of a sudden, all these important decisions are also resting upon your shoulders. Uh, whether you have a partner or not, still as a mom, we feel that it's resting on our shoulders. You know, what were some of the earliest health decisions that you had to make?

SPEAKER_01 2:16

I mean, so many, just starting from being in the dang on, you know, room and wondering if I was going to do Epidura, which I did, girl, that was a mess. Um, and then after finding out all the ways that I could support his health and what that would look like, you know, traditions from when I was growing up, and then other things and new information, like, you know, around respiratory sensual virus, or also, as you said, RSV, and helpful preventive preventative measures that would make sure that he would be okay in the long run, you know.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

What what was when was the first time you even heard the word RSV? Was it something your doctor told you about? You know what?

SPEAKER_01 2:55

I actually heard about it first on the news. Really? I heard about it first on the news, you know, and just you know, you you you hear a lot of different information around, okay, how can I help to protect Leo against this? And you know, obviously that's the reason why I'm partnering with Santa Fe because I think that I didn't know enough around that information in the beginning. Um, and I think that it again, it's not about scaring you or being afraid, right? But it's just the more information that you have, the more that you can ask questions, and the more you can make a smart decision that you feel is best for your baby.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Let's take a step back then. You know, first of all, for everyone that's watching, RSV, respiratory sensational virus, is a respiratory condition that can particularly impact uh babies. And the reason why at National Minority Quality Forum, we particularly care about this is because African-American women are more likely to have babies premature. And when you have babies premature, they tend to likely develop severe RSV, what we call severe RSV. So there's RSV and then severe RSV, which can often lead to hospitalization, you know, unfortunately, in some cases, fatalities. But even just the hospitalization could be a scary part, a scary situation. What was that running through your mind at all when you were watching the news and then thinking about what was best for Leo?

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Yes, absolutely. But I don't I think that a lot of times you don't think that that can happen to your kids. Right. Sometimes it, you know, and that's not an I'm not saying that as a negative thing. I'm saying as a mom, there are a lot of things going on in your mind. The last thing that you're thinking about is or wanting to think about is worst-case scenario. Um, but I that's why I think it's important, you know, especially to your point when we're thinking about black and Hispanic communities that are receiving protection at lower rates. The more we at least get ahead of asking the question to our doctors about what we hear about, you know what I'm saying? The easier it is for us at least to understand and kind of it ruminates in our thoughts, you know, before you know, we find us uh ourselves in a situation that we have to make an immediate decision. It's better to know as much more in advance as we can.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Okay. All right, so why don't we um double back a little bit and let's go into sort of the conversation you were having with your doctor um when it came to Leo. And um, okay, so you how did this how this really how did this realization of RSV start? You watched the news, yes, Leo. You asked your doctor about it.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

And I asked my doctor about what's going on, how serious is this? Could this be, you know, something that I need to know about? And that's when he spoke to me about RSV. That's when he mentioned some preventative antibodies. And at that point, I realized that that was the decision I wanted to make for Leo in order to make sure that he doesn't have problems down the line, you know, because in the beginning, a lot of times with RSV, it starts off as a cold, and you know, you know, you're thinking, oh, the baby has this, or it gets past, or even obviously adults like you had mentioned when we had talked earlier. But what can end up happening is they can get a serious lung infection or they can get hospitalized and things can be far worse. So, yeah, I mean, after hearing all the information I could also about RSV, understanding those, all those implications and thinking about how to rest my mind personally for me, I realized that that was the best option.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Yeah. And gosh, you know, when when you're thinking about these things, unfortunately for so many women, we are also exposed to a lot of misinformation.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

What do you think about that as far as misinformation and how as mothers we should navigate that? Because you want to do what's best for your child, but then sometimes in a lot of cases, particularly systematically, the trust is just not there with your provider. It sounds like in you had a great relationship with yours, but in some other cases, where for some women who may not have that kind of relationship with their provider, what would you say they could do to really find out what decision they can make for themselves and for their child?

SPEAKER_01 7:20

That is huge, what you're saying right now, because especially when we think about black and brown people, the relationship between their health providers is deeply fractured for a multiple of important reasons. Um I think then at that point it's about going places and doing your own research, right? You do your research with your doctor, you you and also and also like you can get multiple information from multiple doctors. You know what I'm saying? You don't have to just choose that one. You can kind of sniff around and see. Um, okay, are they all kind of saying the same thing, right? Um, and and then your mom group. I really lean heavily on my mom group. Did y'all hear about this? What's y'all thoughts on this? How did y'all handle it? Um, at the end of the day, the choice is also just yours, though, right? And so you can also check out protectedinstrsv.com, right? That'll give you more information as well for you to look at. Um, but take your time, I think is the biggest thing, right? There's no there's no wrong or right answer for what's best for your child. It's just about making sure that you at least know all that's out there and give yourself all the you know the information you can have to make that best decision. Uh, but I love what you brought up because it is true. And and you know, hopefully, you know, my story in in in me speaking on it can also be of help to maybe you know make some feel a little bit more comfortable out even getting into that conversation, right?

SPEAKER_00 8:37

Right. I mean, we we have to as moms support one another, especially black moms. We have to give each other that confidence, especially, because sometimes we may not get it, and sometimes not all moms are gonna have the same access to the best information. So if we as a community can share information with one another, this is how we can protect our children. Um, that's really the way to go. So I really love the suggestions you provided at NMQF, you know, this season we're gonna be talking about protect from day one, like yeah, we did with Leo, right? Uh, you know, out in the world, and it's so important that they get this immunization. What would you say, you know, for our community then, when we think about the fact that there's so many barriers to access sometimes, um, not only to information, but gosh, even having the resources of taking time away from work to uh, you know, deal with the pregnancy, deal with these questions that you have, prepare for your child. What would you say about how do we balance this and make sure that we prioritize immunization for our babies?

SPEAKER_01 9:53

I mean, I would say that it's a double-edged word because I obviously understand the concerns, but you don't want the concerns to stop you from also being able to have the resources you need to help you, right? It's like I don't want to trust, but then without that trust, I maybe don't get involved in the conversations that we always should have been a part of to begin with, to understand how to help ourselves, how to help our community. And so it's both things, right? Don't be afraid of information, don't be afraid of learning about something new, don't assume that it's always out to get you, but also be discerning, you know what I mean, and get multiple understandings of what's being said and that research. And then being able to make your own judgment and being happy with that. Because the truth of the matter is, like when we think about RSV prevention, this helps protect, right? It helps to protect. This is just something to support, it's another added layer. Um, it's not one of these things that, you know, is the end-all be all, but it is something that can be helpful. So I think knowing what kind of support is best for you, knowing how it looks and getting all the information pros and cons around that and making your decision from there, how could you be wrong? Um, I think just don't shut the door, right? Don't shut the door to it.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

I love that. Don't shut the door. Keep in fact, open the window too. Okay, I think I knew that you can sing. I knew that we have to do like a song about RSV and protecting from day one. Do that for the campaign. Okay, that's just my submission. But listen, uh, you know, one of the things that people don't understand too, okay, it could be just a cold. You mentioned that earlier.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:37

But as you mentioned about, you know, the long-term, you know, the protection, because oftentimes when babies get RSV and they haven't been immunized, they're more susceptible to bronchitis, you know, and long-term asthma, you know, long-term respiratory issues that follow that child. And think about little Leo and what you have, what plans you have for him, and what do you want him to accomplish. You don't want those things, you know, to be a hinderment uh to your child, would you say?

SPEAKER_01 12:14

Yeah, yeah. And I think that's what I'm saying too, about like knowing as much as you can. It's again, there's no end-all-be-all cure, as any mother knows. You can't stop your kid from scraping their knee, just like you can't stop them from getting sick. All you can do is find helpful things to prevent and help them so that you know it doesn't get worse. And I think that's that that's my my feelings and thoughts about motherhood overall. And health is a problem, it's a part of that. But it's a it's across the board. Everything that I do for Leo, I'm doing, I'm getting insurance basically, um, to ensure that I've done the best I could as a parent to to protect him, but also understand that you know, everything's out in my control. All I can do is try to be helpful in making sure that I'm preventative before things get you know more difficult as he gets older.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Put him on the best path possible, right? Yeah. Knowing we can't control every outcome, but the best possible path. I really love that. Okay. What are you gonna write your book about motherhood?

SPEAKER_01 13:12

So I can bring it. You know what I'm getting at? I'm actually currently writing my next book. And I think like the way that I'm doing it is, you know, I always add a little narrative element of my life or where I'm at currently, but also I think it's gonna be also like uh introspective essays and different things like that. And motherhood is definitely gonna have a huge freaking piece. Uh both probably motherhood, the difficulties, and motherhood, the the pleasantries. Oh, wait a minute. Yes. I found the whole thing. Motherhood, the difficulties, one chapter, motherhood, the pleasantries. Oh, wait a minute, girl. We got that in the bag.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Okay, wait. Uh uh, yeah, put me in the forward or something like that. Well, listen, uh it's been such a joy chatting with you. If there was one message you could leave for moms, particularly black moms, but all moms, first-time moms, especially, you know, as we enter into RSV season, what would that be?

SPEAKER_01 14:13

The main thing I would say is, you're doing great. You're doing great, you're doing great, you're doing great. That's the main thing. The second thing would be, look, I got your back. I may not know you, but I'm sending you love from wherever I'm at, and I'm hoping that you know that um no matter what you do, it's the right thing for you, and it's the right thing for your baby because you were chosen to be that baby's mother. So whatever you ultimately choose and decide, it's always the best thing. And I'm rooting for you. And um, yeah, nothing to be worried about, nothing to be scared about. Only thing we got is is each other to keep each other informed. And like I said, you're doing a great job. And I'm really proud of you.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

Oh, wow, that's amazing. Well, we have to have you back on this program to talk about any other uh conditions. Unfortunately, we're in this world where you have to worry about all of these things. Yes, we do, and we gotta keep the move the community abreast. Yes, we do, because normally it's us as women who are doing that, you know.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Yeah, yes, so you know these matriarchs.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Yes, yes, especially, you know, you know that women actually make most of the health care decisions for families of color. It's a fact. So what we've done here today on 4Your Health News is we've given them the facts, we've given them some information, and then they have the power now to make the decisions for themselves. Kiki, I want to thank you so much for sharing your experience and helping other other mothers feel seen and empowered to make informed decisions and and and the daddies as well, okay. For those of them listening, okay, but really we want to appreciate you. Um, to learn more about RSV and the available options to protect your infants and your families, uh, please visit for your health news at fyh.news and protectainstrsv.com. Thank you so much, Kiki. We have to have you back on the program. We really appreciate your time today. I look forward to it. God bless you.

unknown 16:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Bye.