Katonah Mom Hopes to Turns Still Birth Tragedy into Triumph with a PUSH

In 2013 Samantha Durante Banerjee’s daughter Alana was born still. The tragedy obvious, the comforting words about trying again and being young always fell short. “As if one child replaces another,” said the Katonah mother of two. That said, the loneliness a lack of understanding engendered was far from the worst part.

Alana’s cause of death was very possibly preventable, according to Durante Banerjee, and the knowledge and heartbreak has kept her from being silent.

PushPregnancy.org is a national organization dedicated to raising the profile of the issue and advocating for systematic change, and as the founder and Executive Director Durante Banerjee has 150 families involved nationwide.

However, she was once very content to be just an expectant mother, who took nothing for granted. “I read every book, blog and website I could get my hands on,” said Durante Banerjee.

“Blissfully happy,” she remembered, they were finally going to bring home, “our baby.” Then the unthinkable occurred. “Told she no longer had a heartbeat,” said Durante Banerjee, “we were completely shocked and horrified with no idea how this could happen.”

The pristine image of Alana didn’t help either. “She was beautiful and perfect - like she was sleeping,” remembered Durante Banerjee.

So home the couple went. “Our lives had been turned completely upside down,” she said. “We felt so completely alone.”

There was also no help from the professional ranks. “The rates of PTSD, anxiety and depression are extremely high, and because of the lack of mental health care accessibility, poorly diagnosed” the activist lamented.

Self blame an issue among moms too, actual answers would go a long way. Instead, the cause of death often lacks a sufficient explanation. In this case, Alana got twisted in the wrong direction, and the cord got cut off. “She died of a sudden lack of blood flow and oxygen,” she conveyed the findings.

Thus, the truth proved a process. Pathology reports definitely produced, there are not enough trained professionals to review them, according to Durante Banerjee.

So years later at a conference, one of the world’s leading Neonatal Pathologists offered to help. Dr. Harvey Kliman got the report and determined that the protective coiling of the cord began breaking down. In turn, the blood flow and oxygen issues actually began two weeks earlier, and not coincidentally at the time, Durante Banerjee noticed a distinct lack of movement and kicking.

Along with a stoppage in growth, these are warning signs the expectant mother knew nothing about. “It absolutely could have been detected,” and "Alana could have been delivered at any time,” Durante Banerjee explained.

The proof can also be found abroad. In Europe, with national healthcare systems and the same risks, governments were forced to listen to their constituents, and safeguards are now in place.

First the parents are armed with awareness and warning signs and can employ their own preventative care. Then the professionals continue to scan, monitor and test well beyond the American standard. “Sure enough,” she said, “there’s been a 20-30% drop.”

Back here, attempts to tweak the system always runs up against the system. That means doctors and hospitals put themselves at risk, if they stray from the standard of care directives.

A roadblock still faced when she’s gone back to local hospitals with suggestions. “The college of obstetrics and gynecology, they are the professional association for all obstetrics. They set the standard of care, and unfortunately, they have not accepted to do anything about ending preventable still birth.”

But the efforts of PUSH has yielded results. “One of our biggest wins was in 2022,” she revealed.

The impetus occurred when the NIH agreed to meet on the issue for the first time in a decade. Even so, the gathering did require a push, because avoidable stillbirth was left off the table.

Instead, issues such as drug use and obesity took the fore, and the agenda did not sit well with the audience. “The vast majority of still births are happening to healthy low risk pregnancies,” she said.

The tragedy becoming even worse when adding in race, the parents on hand obviously spoke up when getting the chance. Too much truth, the committee buried their heads in the sand. “They locked us out,” Durante Banerjee’ remembered.

Of course, silencing is a lot harder in the 21st century. Parents went online, and barraged the committee via twitter and emails. “Our babies were born into silence, so we were going to be their voice,” she assured.

The onslaught didn’t go unnoticed. “I got several calls from people on the NIH committee, saying that we'd struck a nerve,” Durante Banerjee conveyed.

Thus, the committee added a fourth session. Parents were able to tell their stories, and the weight of the issue shifted. “By the end, you could see that the NIH was emotionally destroyed,” she said. “They finally heard us and understood the depths to which this utterly transformed our lives.”

As a result, the report reflected the true nature of the issue. A prevention committee was scheduled, and $37 million would be set aside for research. “This was a huge turning point for this movement,” she assured.

PUSH is trying to put a dent in the problem locally too. With the dedication of Northern Westchester Hospital nurses, patients are being educated in prevention. On the other hand, the hospital is still pulling up short in terms of providing accredited training for stillbirth prevention. “They told me there’s no budget,” said Durante Banerjee.

The organization is also pushing to end the birth outcome disparities that exist along racial lines. Of course, she won’t go away. “Their faces drop when I walk in the room,” she joked.

Of course, nothing is a laughing matter when 65 babies are dying every day, and that has her laying down the objective. With the proven changes so simple to implement, Durante Banerjee concluded, “My vision is for Westchester County to become the leader in the country to show that this is possible and that we can do better.”

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