Black Birth Matters: In the Words of a Black Mom and Birth Worker

Pictured above are Detrisscia and her daughter Kalaila.

by Detrisscia McLean Corbitt, Labor Doula, Postpartum Doula, & Midwifery Apprentice

“If we can teach people to hate, we should be able to teach them to love!” -Anthony Ray Hinton.

Imagine being pregnant in a world where all odds are against you surviving, based on the color of your skin. I identify as that woman. A BLACK woman. A BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) woman that was born into a world that would cause me to fear for the safety of myself and baby in a broken maternal health system. The maternal health system in our nation does not result in successful birth outcomes in the BIPOC community. In fact, it’s actually killing my BIPOC sisters and babies! Did you know that black women have a higher maternal mortality rate than any other race? We are 2-3x more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than any other race, and our children are twice as likely to die before their first birthday. Are you shocked? Perhaps you shouldn’t be. Poor outcomes are directly correlated with lack of access to quality care, silencing the voice of the pregnant woman, and a lack of attention from the rest of our society on the alarming rate at which my sisters are dying.

Here are 5 ways black expecting families can matter more, in the words of a black mom and birth worker:

1. DO YOUR PART If you are a Caucasian person and have a platform, use it to bring awareness to the problems that are right in front of us. Use your voice and resources in order to bring light into this dark moment in our history as a nation and a people. Stand up, speak out, and don’t tolerate racism and bias that you see around you. Each individual has the power to make a change in systematic racism!

2. LISTEN If you have a BIPOC friend, client, or patient that is concerned about her pregnancy, ensure that you give that concern the importance that it deserves by listening, assisting her in finding resources, or offering the treatment that you are authorized to provide. A pregnant woman is incredibly intuitive about her body and baby when pregnant, and should ALWAYS be given the service of attention when that intuition is shouting out to her. So often, a black woman is told that her symptoms and pains are normal and sent home, only to suffer dire consequences when those symptoms prove life-threatening and too much time has passed to adequately address the issue. Black women are women of incredible emotional and physical strength, but we are not immune to the pain and suffering that can sometimes occur during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery. My sisters are passing away due to being ignored. We are DYING TO BE HEARD & TIRED of being RIP HASHTAGS!

3. GIVE US WHAT WE NEED! Help us have the same access to care you’d give the privileged white woman. The same care you’d want for yourself, your daughter, your sister, or your granddaughter. There are so many beneficial practices for childbearing women that are not offered in BIPOC communities. As a doula, I have told so many BIPOC moms about beneficial practices that they did not even know existed. Childbirth classes, prenatal yoga classes, & lactation specialist support after birth are some things that my Black mommas don’t even know about! These things should be offered to all birthing women - all women deserve to be educated about their options in birth, and this is consistently failing to happen for black childbearing women.

4. SUPPORT US! You can assist in BIPOC women having better care, by donating to the culture! We need black women to care for black women. We are becoming midwives and doulas to advocate, support, and care for our own. Donate to the fundraisers you see that are going to bring positive changes to our BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH SYSTEM. It will be these changes at a systemic level that start to grant all black women access to life-saving maternity and postpartum care. You can even start your own fundraiser to aid in a BIPOC woman’s birth work training! Too many people will read this paragraph and think that if they don’t have money to give, they aren’t able to provide any support. That is not true! Generosity can come in the form of time given in volunteerism, prayer, research and study that leads to informing the community around you of the realities faced by the BIPOC community, and more. There are countless ways to get involved in this change.

5. QUIT contributing to the culture of fear that surrounds birth for black women in our nation. Often, well meaning friends, family members, and even care providers are scaring black mothers into birth choices that result in poor outcomes. While there is a place for intervening in birth that can have life saving results, too often black mothers are pushed into making decisions that are not medically indicating and actually increase risk to the mother and baby. I’ve had many moms that have been talked into scheduling c-sections & inductions for no medically indicated reason or for the convenience of their birth team. You know the conversation: “Well, I may be on vacation or not available around your due date, so let’s schedule this to be sure that I can attend!” Birth is not on anyone’s timetable and should not be a rushed process. It is not an emergency as long as mom and baby are healthy and safe! Fear should not be put upon a birthing woman! Oh and Another thing! Home births are amazing and where it all started! My ancestors are MASTERS and ORIGINATORS of this powerful sacred work!

“If we can teach people to hate, we should be able to teach them to love!” -Anthony Ray Hinton

Together, let’s be a part of the solution and not the problem!

Working as a labor and postpartum doula with a great variety of clients, has opened my eyes to seeing that all women need access to empowering birth services. I’ve also been able to take a step back and see the difference in the care offered to a woman based on the color of her skin. My clients are of all nationalities, and I enjoy providing services to all of them. This has also given me a better perspective on the maternal systematic racism that BIPOC women endure. I have seen the difference in the care offered and the treatment.

We all have work to do. The maternal system needs change! Black women need to feel safe, supported, and cared for, without the fear of dying. They deserve to not die when trying to bring life into the world.

I’m a Black birth worker striving to bring better care and positive birthing outcomes to the women that look like me. Black midwives make up 2% of the reported 15,000 midwives in the US. I’m currently training and in apprenticeship to be a Certified Professional Midwife. Will you stand by me? Will you stand by us? Will you give time and energy to the cause? We’ve endured enough. It’s time for change! Let’s advocate for BIPOC to BIRTH WITHOUT FEAR! 🖤 🤎