Expectant Black mothers face significant disparities in care leading up to, during and after childbirth.
In December, researchers reviewed health records for 46 million pregnant or postpartum women between 2007 and 2017. They found that Black women were 57% more likely to have a stroke, 45% more likely to die in the hospital and 23% more likely to have a heart attack.
“The health care system has not valued black women’s health overall and not valued our lives,” Angela Doyinsola Aina told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2019. “They are not listening to us at all, especially when we complain about any pain or ailment that we’re experiencing.”
Aina is executive director at Black Mamas Matter Alliance, a national network of women-led, community-based organizations that provide maternal reproductive health programs and services.
In an effort to close the gap in care for Black mothers and their babies, Baby Dove launched the Black Birth Equity Fund to provide access to doulas for Black mothers.
A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
“Doulas provide services that go beyond what’s provided in a health care center or hospital, far beyond what clinicians even have the time to do,” Aina told Today. The Black Mamas Matter Alliance partnered with Dove on the initiative.
“A certified doula is a communicator: from helping moms and birthing individuals express any concerns or feelings to flagging conditions that might usually go unchecked in a child birthing situation,” Dove wrote on its website.
Research shows that with the support of a doula, moms are two times less likely to experience birth complications, four times less likely to have a low birth weight baby and are more likely to experience overall positive health outcomes.
Black women who are pregnant can apply online at BabyDove.com/BlackMaternalHealth for direct grants up to $1,300 to help cover the costs of doula services. If you’re looking for a Black doula, the fund recommends searching the National Black Doulas Association.
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