Listen To Black Moms: Challenges In Maternal Health

Dear friends,

It's me, Camille Barnes, here, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Maternal Wellness Center. While the joys and struggles of maternal health are something we all can identify with, Black families can have challenges around maternal health that not only look different but statistically have far worse outcomes. Despite being one of the most developed countries in the world, the United States has perinatal and postpartum outcomes that are almost embarrassing with 700 people per year dying of pregnancy or postpartum related deaths per year. Two in every three deaths are preventable. Now, take those numbers and multiply them by three.  This is the number of Black women who die from pregnancy and birth related complications every year compared to their White counterparts. Factors such as poverty, pre-existing conditions, and lack of access to care contribute to these outcomes, but at the root of all those factors is structural racism. After you add in Covid, the numbers are truly terrifying! 

There is hope though! As more awareness is brought to the disparities in healthcare that BIPOC face, more is being done to combat the imbalance. Organizations like Kira4Moms, the CDC’s Hear Her Campaign, and more locally, the BIPOC Birth Work Circle & Birth Fund provide resources and scholarships to help BIPOC women have more informed births and be more equipped to advocate for themselves while navigating pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, as well scholarships for doula and perinatal education services.

Let’s talk a little about being a BIPOC mom. Not only do we have the typical worries of motherhood–will they ever be potty trained? Am I feeding them enough of the right things?” Did we choose the right school?--, but there is also the added worry of teaching our children how to interact with people who may see them as a threat simply because of their skin. We are left feeling like the margin of error is so much smaller than some others because of ripples of history in our country. We feel torn between wanting our child to have access to privilege but knowing that exposing them to that privilege means they can be hurt by those wielding it.

These worries can increase the anxiety level for people who are already marginalized in the world of mental health. It’s not uncommon to avoid discussing these challenges in what we would consider “mixed company” because it can be emotionally draining for Black and Brown parents to have to be mindful of others’ discomfort on top of having to explain or sometimes even defend their fears on top of being vulnerable enough to share them. While all of us at the Center welcome conversations about the impact of race in our lives and our world, we also understand the value of a shared experience which is why we are so grateful to have several clinicians of color on staff. The diversity of our team is one of our greatest strengths in supporting families with all types of lived experiences (you can read more about our therapists here in their bios).

We also recognize the need for a safe space to talk about these things, and to that end, we offer a peer led support group for moms of color led by me, Camille, certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, Breastfeeding Counselor, and mom of four. Could you use a community during this time? A guide out of a difficult situation? A space where people really understand you? Please consider reaching out today.

Warmly,
Camille Barnes, CPD, CBD, CBC
Director of Diversity, Equity + Inclusion

Kellie Wicklund, LPC, PMH-C
Owner + Clinical Director

Christina Moran
Executive Director