Celebrating Black Maternal Health Week #BMHW25

Mom and three kids

Greetings from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! Things have been busy. I am still a working mom of three, working full time who is trying to make a difference. I do a lot of things and try to be present so that I can learn from them. I share them on this blog so that we can learn together. Below are some thoughts, hacks, and/or lessons that I have learned from navigating my world.

Black Maternal Health Week April 11-17, 2025

I am a Black mom to three wonderful children. I was blessed to have three successful births. While I am an attorney, my third delivery highlighted the potential risks that occur when a physician fails to listen to the birthing person. Initially, I chalked it up to the physician involved and limited it to my personal birthing experience. Then, I learned that I was not special. Overwhelmingly, Black women experience higher rates of birth trauma, birthing complications and negative birth outcomes. 

These statistics are what lead to the creation of Black Maternal Health Week in an attempt to highlight health disparities and promote better health outcomes for all women.

Even in this current political environment, there is space to highlight health disparities based on race. One of the issues that ought not be overlooked or diminished is the health outcomes related to Black Maternal Health. Indeed, protecting mothers should be as American as apple pie, and if we are aware that some mothers die at higher rates, then we are aware of a public health crisis. And, because mothers are the bedrock of families, when mothers suffer avoidable deaths, we subject families to avoidable suffering and trauma, and create a framework by which the children are at higher risk for a host of bad things, including being recipients of social services. Indeed, when Black mothers die, we compromise the social and economic health of this nation, and that is something we should all care about.

Mom and kids at The White Housee

Black Maternal Health Week began last week. It highlights and amplifies that motherhood, a most natural human desire, presents a disproportionate risk to Black women. Indeed, Black women are over three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications compared to White women. This disparity exists even when you account for educational and economic disparities. The data indicates that getting pregnant while Black increases the likelihood that your baby will grow up motherless.

While this reality is sobering, it can also be motivating. And, if knowing about this does not motivate you to take action, you should know that you are ignoring one of the most profound public health crises of our time. Below are some action items that can be implemented to improve Black maternal health. 

Action Items to Improve Black Maternal Health

1. Action Item for Everyone (Respect Black Women and their Motherhood):    If that statistic appalls you, do something about it. It is easy to pontificate about the plight of Black moms. It is harder to actually treat the Black moms you know with dignity and respect. That said, action is what effectuates change. So, donate money. Raise awareness. Help your Black friends who have given birth and check on them to make sure they're OK. And if you are in a romantic relationship with a man who parents with a Black mom, refrain from harassing her and complicating her life.
2. Action Item for Men Who Parent with Black Moms (Promote the Interests of that Black Mom):   If you are married to a Black mom or have children with a Black mom, actively work to promote her wellbeing and refrain from doing things to harm her and/or interfere with her health. Failing to contribute meaningfully to the household--economically, spiritually, and emotionally--means that you are aggravating her stress and compromising her health. If you lie, cheat, or steal from that Black mom, or escalate conflict, that requires her to process your misdeeds while raising your children. That is an avoidable difficulty.  If you love your children, don't do anything that you know complicates their mother's life or compromises her happiness. 
3. Action Item for Black Moms (Actively Love Yourself): If you are a Black mom or aspire to be one, actively love yourself. That love looks like advocating for yourself with the same fervency that you advocate for others. That love looks like requiring those with whom you are in relationship to always treat you with dignity and respect. That love looks like paying attention to your body and acknowledging when things don't feel right. That love also looks like self forgiveness.

There's an old adage that says, "When you know better, you do better." If you have read this post, you can no longer say, "I didn't know it was that bad and didn't know what to do." Now, do better. By doing better, you can make a difference.