“Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy”
In light of the alarming rise of maternal deaths in the U.S., which recent data shows has been exacerbated by the pandemic; and amidst growing cases of clear neglect in care in hospital systems immediately after labor and delivery, SisterLove has joined Black Mamas Matter Alliance for Black Maternal Health Week to highlight and center culturally-congruent practices with a focus on Black midwifery care and full-spectrum Black-led Doula care as sound, evidence-based solutions.
Most importantly, these are practices and solutions that incorporate the true needs, wants and desires of Black women and birthing people.
As we reckon with the upending of Roe V. Wade and the relentless attacks against reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, this year’s theme speaks to our strength, power and resilience, and our unassailable right to live freely, safely, and joyfully.
The events and programming being planned throughout Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) will fully embody this theme and offer opportunities to engage in activities and conversations that honor the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements.
Defining Justice - Key Terms
BMMA uses the phrase “BLACK MAMAS” to represent the full diversity of our lived experiences that includes birthing persons (cis women, trans folks, and gender expansive individuals) that are people of African descent across the diaspora (Afro-Latinx, African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Black, and African Immigrant). Whenever intentional change has been fostered, Black Mamas have been on the frontlines, and now we are focusing on our own freedom and right to live and thrive.
The work is not done until Black Mamas are liberated, respected, and protected. When investing in Black Mamas, we are pouring into the roots that act as the foundational strength of Black families and systems of care. We recognize, celebrate, and support those who care for and mother our families and communities whether they have given birth or not. We stand in solidarity with all Black Mamas.
The Intersectionality of Black Maternal Mortality - Key Facts
Outlined below are key statistics pertaining to various aspects of Black Maternal Health, along with a corresponding list of BMMA partners and collaborators who are working in each area:
Maternal Mortality
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 700 women die each year in the United States as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications. Almost two-thirds of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable (Source: CDC)
In 2020, Black women were most disproportionately affected with a mortality rate of 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 19.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, and 18.2 deaths per 100,000 live births for White and Hispanic women, respectively (Source: CDC).
In 2020, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 3 times the rate for White women in the United States. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as lower quality healthcare, structural racism, and implicit bias from healthcare providers, and underlying chronic conditions. (Source: CDC)
The U.S. has an infant mortality rate of 5.4 per 1000 live births in 2020, with a health disparity among Black babies at a rate of 10.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019. (Source: CDC)
Maternal Mental Health
Black mothers are more likely to suffer from PMADs (Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders) like postpartum depression, in silence and without clinical help. (Source: NCBI)
BMMA Partners Making a Difference: Shades of Blue Project, Center for Black Women’s Wellness
Breastfeeding
About 74% of Black infants are ever breastfed compared to more than 85% of White and 83% Latinx moms. (Source: CDC)
Among all infants, in 2019, Black infants had a significantly lower rate of exclusive breastfeeding at age 3 months (36.3%) than did White infants (49%); at age 6 months, the rates of any breastfeeding were 44% among Black infants and 59.9.% among White infants. (Source: CDC)
Unsupportive work policies (including lack of parental leave), unsupportive hospital policies and practices, lack of lactation support (including apathy from providers), issues with latching, lack of family support, and cultural norms are factors that contribute to breastfeeding disparities. (Source: CDC)
Hospitals in areas with higher percentages of Black residents were less likely to provide recommended maternity care practices supportive of breastfeeding. (Source: CDC)
BMMA Partners Making a Difference: Black Mother's Breastfeeding Association, Black Girls Breastfeeding Club, Chocolate Milk Cafe, Perinatal Equity Foundation, Mamatoto Village
Reproductive Rights & Justice/Access to Contraception
Black women are more likely than White women to report using a contraceptive method associated with lower efficacy (e.g., withdrawal, condoms) or no contraception at all. (Source: AJOG)
Black women disproportionately lack necessary reproductive health care—including contraception access and counseling, abortion, STI screenings, and reproductive screenings (Source: Health Equity, Obstetrics & Gynecology). This leaves them vulnerable to many risk factors around pregnancy. Recent improvements in maternal and infant health across the 20th century are due, in part, to expanded contraceptive access and use.
Quality of Care/Birth Justice
People from some racial and ethnic minority groups (e.g. Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black) are more likely to be uninsured than non-Hispanic whites. (Source: CDC)
From 2015 - 2017, nearly 50% of Black women and birthing people were uninsured at some point during preconception, at delivery, or postpartum (i.e., experienced discontinuity of insurance coverage) (Source: Obstetrics & Gynecology) Research suggests that Black women receive lower quality of care than white women, which increases risk of severe maternal morbidity, especially when receiving obstetric care at predominantly Black serving hospitals. (Source: AJOG)
From 2014 through 2018, 53 counties in the U.S. (2.7%) lost hospital-based obstetric services, leaving about 56 percent of rural counties with no obstetric services in 2018 (Source: JAMA)
Perinatal community-based models of care offer enhanced care and support throughout the pre-pregnancy to postpartum spectrum, including doula and midwifery childbirth services to pregnant women who face barriers to care. (Source: CAP)
COVID-19
From 2020 to 2023, Non-Hispanic Black populations in the U.S. experienced a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 related deaths. (Source: CDC)
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare but severe condition that occurs approximately 2–4 weeks after the onset of COVID-19 in children and adolescents. MIS-C disproportionately affects children and adolescents from racial and ethnic minority groups, including non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic or Latino children and adolescents. (Source: CDC)
Pregnant people with COVID-19 are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 —including illness that could result in hospitalization and ICU admission, ventilation, and death—compared with non-pregnant people. Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 might be at increased risk for other adverse outcomes, such as preterm birth. It is especially important for people who are or were recently pregnant, and those who live or visit with them, to take steps to protect themselves and others from getting COVID-19. (Source: CDC)
Black Maternal Health Policy
Momnibus
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act includes historic policies and investments in Black Mamas, families, and systems of care.
Written by and for Black Mamas, the Momnibus invests in community-based organizations and the perinatal workforce, addresses social determinants of health and the effects of climate change, promotes representative Maternal Mortality Review Committees and maternal mental health equity, and more.
The Momnibus exemplifies centering and investing in Blackled, community-based organizations whose work is deeply rooted in the reproductive justice, birth justice, and human rights frameworks.
Postpartum Medicaid Coverage
Mandatory and permanent postpartum Medicaid coverage for one year fills a major coverage gap in Black maternal health.
One third of pregnancy-related deaths occur between one week and one year postpartum, with 12 percent of pregnancy-related deaths occurring after six weeks postpartum.
Despite this reality, Medicaid currently provides coverage for only 60 days postpartum, with the option for states to extend coverage to a year granted in the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and made permanent in the FY23 omnibus package. This coverage gap is particularly dire for Black communities, especially given that nearly half of births in the United States and approximately two-thirds of Black births are covered by Medicaid.
While BMMA is glad that the option is no longer temporary, access to postpartum Medicaid for a full year should be mandatory and should not depend on where you live. Currently, only 28 states and the District of Columbia provide a full year of postpartum Medicaid coverage.
Pregnancy Accommodations
Congress passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act as amendments to the FY23 omnibus package.
The PWFA provides employees the right to reasonable accommodations for limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, including lactation. The PUMP Act extends coverage to previously excluded workers under the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law, including teachers, transportation workers, and agricultural workers.
These policies, now signed into law, are critically important for Black women and birthing people in the workplace. In 2022, BMMA and A Better Balance published a joint report on the importance of the PWFA and the PUMP Act, as well as paid family leave and paid sick leave policies.
More Resources
Content provided by Black Mamas Matter Alliance
