Support WBURBlack Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth. Shalon Irving's Story Explains WhyPlay12:11Download AudioRenee MontagneDecember 07, 2017 ShareWanda Irving holds her granddaughter, Soleil, in front of a portrait of Soleil's mother, Shalon, at her home in Sandy Springs, Ga. Wanda is raising Soleil since Shalon died of complications due to hypertension a few weeks after giving birth. (NPR)