Black Maternal Health Week
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Educators and Birth Professionals
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Black Maternal Health Week Action Center

About Black Maternal Health Week

Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, amplifies the voices of Black mothers and centers on the disparities faced by Black women and the movement for reproductive and birth justice.

Important Statistics

  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women; 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
  • The rate of infant mortality (death) among Black babies is almost two times higher than the national average (5.4 per 1,000 live births). According to the CDC, the rate of infant mortality (death) among Black babies in the U.S. is 10.6 per 1,000 live births.

6 Actions to Take This Week and Beyond

Educate Yourself: Educate yourself and your colleagues about the factors contributing to Black maternal health disparities, including implicit bias, systemic racism, and social determinants of health. Listen to a Lamaze Podcast episode, explore research from the Journal of Perinatal Education, or read one of our Connecting the Dots blog posts.
Elevate Black Voices: Invite Black speakers to share their experiences and perspectives in your childbirth education classes, workshops, or webinars. Leverage your fellow Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators for ideas and tips.
Advocate for Change: Get involved in advocacy efforts at the local, state, or federal level that promote access to quality prenatal care, culturally competent healthcare providers, and support services for Black mothers.
Provide Support and Resources: Offer support and resources to Black mothers navigating the healthcare system. Connect them with community organizations, support groups, and resources that can provide assistance during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.
Continue to Collaborate: Share the questionnaire for the Black Birthing Initiative (BBI) to assess the social determinants of health needs, racism, stress, and the risk factors of preterm birth among Black pregnant and postpartum women and birthing people.
Share Lamaze Content: Like and comment on Lamaze social media posts and post and share content on your own social media networks to join the broader conversation and demonstrate the expertise of Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators. Use hashtag #BMHW24.

 

Lamaze Resources

Webinar: Establishing Birth Equity through Advocacy in a Hospital Setting

This webinar will define and identify the role of birth equity, with a focus on the importance of advocacy during pregnancy and birth in a hospital setting. This presentation will shed light on how women of color are often not advocated for, at times dismissed and devalued, in comparison to their counterparts while birthing in a hospital. We will highlight strategies to advocate for all patients through the perinatal period as a solution to establish and maintain birth equity across the nation.

Webinar: Towards a Framework of Birth Justice in Childbirth Education

This session will provide childbirth educators with a historical and contextual framework to understand birth and reproductive justice as a solution and movement towards addressing racial disparities in birth outcomes. Additionally, the session will highlight strategies for examining power and privilege and the role of childbirth educators in the movement for birth justice.

Webinar: Diversifying Doulas Initiative by Patients R Waiting

Patients R Waiting is addressing the maternal mortality crisis by providing Lancaster Black and Latinx expectant moms with doula support. Doulas can help to meet the emotional support needed by providing care and education, virtually and in person. Because of the lack of diversity within doulas throughout Lancaster, we have provided women of color the formal training necessary to become a certified doula. Through a process curated by doulas themselves, we have increased the doulas of color in Lancaster by over 900%. Through this program, we will place pregnant women of color with experienced doulas, free of charge.

JPE 29.4: Sisters in Birth: Improving Birth Outcomes in Mississippi

Mississippi has the poorest birth outcomes in the United States. Sisters in Birth (SIB) is a community-based non-profit, charitable organization program that links community and clinical health to improve birth outcomes in Mississippi. This article describes the community and clinical health variables that influence birth outcomes and the organization’s work or mission. The overwhelmingly positive outcomes of the first 50 women in the program are presented as well as snapshots of individual women’s experiences.

Podcast Episode: Birth Without Bias: How the Irth App is Challenging and Changing Birth Experiences

Podcast Episode: Birth Work and Racial Disparities: A Passage from Labor and Delivery Nurse to Activist to Midwife

Podcast Episode: Advocating for Reproductive Health Among Black Women

Additional Resources

Resources from Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA)

Resources from Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)