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South Jersey mom shares her pregnancy experience during Black Maternal Health Week

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South Jersey mom shares her pregnancy experience during Black Maternal Health Week


MOORESTOWN, New Jersey (WPVI) — By all accounts, having a baby should be a joyous time, but bringing life into the world could cost some moms their lives.

Raising awareness of that fact is the focus of Black Maternal Health Week.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related issue than their white counterparts.

One New Jersey woman in Burlington County came close to being a part of that statistic. She hopes her story and her new mission can help others.

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“We’re getting tons of moms and families these days,” said Victoria Dash as she stood inside ‘I See Baby,’ a 3D and 4D ultrasound business in the Moorestown Mall that she co-founded.

The company offers moms-to-be a chance to see babies in a way they’re usually not seen.

“3D is really lifelike. So you see the features, the chubby cheeks, the scrunching of the nose,” said Dash.

Dash takes pride in giving other moms the pregnancy experience she didn’t have.

“I woke up, there was 50 nurses there and they’re saying, ‘What happened? Are you ok? Are you ok?’ Then the baby came out,” she recalled of her birth experience with her third child.

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Complications during childbirth are something she always feared. For Black women, that fear is very real.

The 6abc data journalism team found the rate of pregnancy-caused deaths for Black women in New Jersey is six times higher than their white counterparts. In Pennsylvania, it’s four times higher.

“I don’t think there is anything more tragic than losing a mom during the process of childbirth,” said Chief Physician Executive Dr. Jack Ludmir at Temple Women and Families Hospital.

Philadelphia’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee found that from 2013 to 2018, Black women made up 43% of births but 73% of pregnancy-related deaths in the city.

Ludmir says the reasons could range from access to medical care to systemic racism.

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“It is really trying to address the social issues and how to try to combine both of them,” he said.

Ludmir notes the importance of advocacy and doulas, who can assist during pregnancy and childbirth.

“I said, ‘I don’t care what happens, as long as you don’t let me die,’” said Dash.

She credits her doula with helping her not become a statistic.

“She quite literally saved my life,” said Dash of Xiomara Gittens, certified doula and owner of The Purple Purpose which provides doula services.

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“For anybody giving birth, any race, the fear is am I going to make it out,” said Gittens, “but as a black woman I can honestly say I think everybody’s fear is that number.”

That’s why offering a peek at a healthy baby with her business is so important to Dash. She hopes more moms have deliveries that are not just special but safe.

“Give you that happy experience for every pregnancy,” she said.

Temple hopes its new Women and Families hospital can help by providing services to vulnerable populations.

The hospital is open for outpatient services now, and will fully open for all services in 2025.

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The Pennsylvania Legislature also has a Black Maternal Health Caucus, which introduced a set of bills known as PA MOMNIBUS to help address the issue.

Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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New Jersey

Isolated snow showers, wind gusts up to 35 mph in N.J. forecast for Sunday

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Isolated snow showers, wind gusts up to 35 mph in N.J. forecast for Sunday


Rain will continue through tonight across New Jersey before a cold front passes through Sunday morning, followed by wind gusts up to 35 mph and the chance of isolated snow showers.

The heaviest rain tonight is expected along the southern portions of the state where 1 and 1.5 inches rainfall totals are possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Most other areas of New Jersey should receive around 1 inch of rain, with the northwest portions of the state picking up 0.5 to 0.75 inches.

Heavy rain is expected to soak New Jersey through most of Saturday with rainfall totals up to 1.5 inches expected in the southern half of the state.National Weather Service

Once the rain ends between 6 and 9 a.m. Sunday, conditions should remain cloudy and foggy until a cold front passes through late Sunday morning into early Sunday afternoon.

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Temperatures will drop into the upper 30s to low 40s Sunday morning as cold air moves in behind the first cold front.

A secondary cold front will cross New Jersey late Sunday afternoon accompanied by a period of rain and snow showers.

The isolated snow showers are possible mainly from 7 to 11 p.m., the weather service said. Snow accumulations are not expected in New Jersey.

Winds of 15 to 20 mph on Sunday afternoon are expected to increase to 25 to 35 mph by sunset.

Monday’s forecast calls for mainly clear skies with temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s and winds gradually diminishing.

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Tuesday will be milder with above-normal temperatures and mainly clear to partly cloudy skies, with a slight chance of some rain showers possible.

Wednesday’s temperatures will remain above normal with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain showers as a cold front approaches from the west.

N.J. weather: Snow from costal winter storm possible next week
Forecasters are tracking the potential for a coastal storm that could bring snow to New Jersey late next week, or veer out to sea.AccuWeather.com

A potential coastal storm could impact New Jersey with snow on Thursday and Friday, though significant uncertainty remains regarding the exact track and timing of the system, the weather service said.

Some forecast models suggest a significant winter storm while others indicate the system will remain offshore.

N.J. weather: Snow from costal winter storm possible next week
Forecasters are tracking the potential for a coastal storm that could bring snow to New Jersey late next week, or veer out to sea.AccuWeather.com

A colder air mass is forecast to move into New Jersey by late next week and into the following weekend.

Current weather radar



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NJ officers surprised with Eagles playoffs tickets for saving boy who fell through ice

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NJ officers surprised with Eagles playoffs tickets for saving boy who fell through ice


Officers in Gloucester County, New Jersey, got a big surprise on Friday morning.

A representative from Dunkin’ gave them free tickets to this weekend’s Eagles playoff game as a huge thank you for their courageous actions last weekend.

It was a tense scene in Woolwich Township when officers used ropes and went into a frozen body of water to save a child who had fallen through the ice.

“As soon as he started screaming that he couldn’t feel his hands, I just went out there and tried to go get him,” Sgt. Joseph Rieger said. “Immediately thought of my own son and what I would have done with my own son- just go out and get him as soon as I could.”

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The boy was screaming and was not able to grab onto the rope that the officers had thrown to him.

“I try to get him the rescue rope but he can’t hold it because his hands aren’t working. So I go to grab him out of the awter and we both go into the water. So I was able to stand up and throw him on top of the ice and start breaking my way back,” Rieger explained.

The team was able to get the 13-year-old out of the frozen water with no one getting hurt.

Then, Dunkin’ showed up to the police department for Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and praised their actions by giving them tickets to Sunday’s Eagles playoff game against the 49ers.

“This is my job. It was what I signed up to do so getting this kind of attention, I’m not used to it. I’m very appreciative and very excited,” Rieger said.

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The officers said that if there’s anything to take away from this story, it’s to stay off of the ice.

Thankfully, the boy they saved is doing just fine and stopped by the police department earlier this week to thank them.

“It was awesome. It was nice to see that he was safe. He learned his lesson. He was very appreciative,” Rieger said.



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New Jersey

Police investigate fatal stabbing in Mercer County

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Police investigate fatal stabbing in Mercer County


EWING TWP., N.J. (WPVI) — Police are searching for a suspect who fatally stabbed a man in Mercer County, New Jersey.

It happened around 5:20 p.m. Thursday on the unit block of New Hillcrest Avenue in Ewing Township.

When police arrived, they found a 40-year-old man lying in the street with several stab wounds to the torso.

He was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he later died.

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The victim has been identified as Jimmy Chase from Philadelphia.

So far, no arrests have been made.

Anyone who has any information on this case is asked to call Mercer County detectives at 609-989-6406.

You can also submit an anonymous tip online at MercerCountyProsecutor.com.

Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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