Racism was at the heart of my heavily pregnant daughter’s death, mother alleges

It’s been three years since dancer and influencer Nicole Thea died whilst eight months pregnant with her child, who would have been called Reign.

But for Nicole’s family, those three long years mean “nothing”.

“I still feel like I how I did the day that she passed away – the first thing I think of in the morning is Nicole and Reign. When I go to sleep, it’s Nicole and Reign,” says her mother Samantha Antoine.

It’s not lost on Samantha that as she should be celebrating her first grandchild’s third birthday, she is instead marking the anniversary of his death, along with his mother – who was her only child.

“Reign will never be able to ride a bike, I will never be able to pick him up from school, take him swimming.

“And one of the saddest things is Nicole will never get to see Reign and that bothers me. She was so excited to see him.”

Nicole died in July 2020 of an underlying heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) – a condition Nicole’s paternal grandmother died from in 1986.

She had previously complained to midwives about shortness of breath and even spoke in YouTube videos to hundreds of thousands of her followers that she felt like her baby was “eating her from the inside out”.

Dr Aneil Malhotra, a consultant cardiologist, has since tested some family members for the often-hereditary condition.

He says it is always important to address symptoms – and a “baseline EGC, electrical trace of the heart, detects HCM in around 90% of cases”.

He says HCM is prevalent in all ethnic groups, but can be more difficult to identify in black and ethnic minority patients, which he believes is linked to lack of research.

Mother believes Nicole’s death could have been avoided

Samantha claims that – if Nicole’s concerns had been listened to – her daughter’s death could have been avoided, believing her daughter was failed on many levels, and racism was at the heart of it.

“I also believe that because Nicole is a woman of colour, that she was failed on that front because she just wasn’t taken seriously.

“I think if she wasn’t a woman of colour, she would have been referred to as a consultant,” Samantha said.

According to the most recent data from a report by Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries (MBRRACE-UK), black and ethnic minority women can be around five to six times more likely to die in childbirth.

Sadly, it’s not just mothers from ethnically diverse backgrounds more likely to experience higher morbidity rates.

In 2021, babies from the black ethnic group continued to have the highest rates of death, according to the ONS.

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‘Every maternal death is a tragedy’ – MP

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are absolutely clear we must ensure maternity care is of the same high standard for everyone.

“We set up the Maternity Disparities Taskforce which brings together experts from across the health system, government departments and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities.”

But Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP and chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, says the government has fallen short of setting a target.

She said “every maternal death is a tragedy” adding that her “heart goes out to Samantha”.

“I think it’s absolutely crucial that all women, particularly black and other minoritised communities are listened to when they’re pregnant. They know their own bodies best.”

She said she is disappointed there hasn’t been a “specific strategy or target around black maternal deaths” – adding that cases like Nicole’s “highlight how crucial it is that we make sure women are listened to that their health concerns are acted upon.”

Samantha says the statistics highlighting the disparities other women of colour face is proof there are wider societal issues at play, and the family want accountability, but until that happens they have taken it among themselves to do something about it.

Foundation will keep Nicole’s name alive

Global Boga, Nicole’s partner and father to Reign, said: “It’s been three years, but I haven’t lived.”

“I only started to feel myself again when I set up the foundation to honour her and my son.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anybody.”

“Nicole literally made my life. All she ever wanted was to be a mother, and I could see that, so I wanted to be the father of her kids.”

Alongside Samantha and other family members, he is setting up the Nicole Thea Reign foundation to help support mothers.

He hopes the foundation, which will be set up to mark Nicole’s birthday on 29 July, will go a long way to keep their name alive, as well as helping others.

“We have lost a great queen, but she is not gone forever. She is in us, she is in our soul,” he said.