Throughout our lifespan, our reproductive health--our ability to bear children--is of utmost importance to manage. Wherever you fall on this continuum, we as a community of sistahs--what I call "Sistahren"--have the responsibility to be well informed about our bodies and share our knowledge.
Each one of us has a daughter, sistah, niece, friend, or co-worker in her prime childbearing years. It is our duty to embrace her and ensure that mother and child have the best possible outcome. In honor of Mother's Day, we focus on childbirth options so that we might be aware of and provide optimal support for the expectant mothers in our lives.
Giving birth is one of the most life altering, extraordinary experiences a woman can have. For most women, the next step after confirming pregnancy is to seek prenatal care. Good! Without a doubt, quality prenatal care is the single best determinant of better health for both mother and child.
Without thinking or questioning, many sistahs automatically engage a doctor for prenatal care and give birth in a hospital. The physician is whom we trust and where we feel most safe. Certainly doctors are an important source of quality prenatal care and safe delivery of our children. But they aren't the only source.
There is a passionate and growing movement of Black women choosing midwives and doulas as their birthing support team. Rooted in a body/mind/spirit WHOLE woman approach to pregnancy and childbirth, present-day midwives are certified and trained in all the medical aspects of this journey--and more. Doulas, too, enrich the physical and emotional comfort of our laboring sistahs. Both doulas and midwives have the added resource of time available to spend with each woman at prenatal visits and can devote their undivided attention to her during childbrith.
Our historical connection to midwiferyBack in the day, Black women gave birth at home with a midwife and other supportive women in attendance. It was their only option. Welcoming a child was a community event with a focus on the emotional, spiritual, and psychological wellbeing of mother and child--a WHOListic view of the life cycle.
As access to doctors and hospitals was extended to African American women, most jumped at the opportunity, making the assumption that care from the doctor and birthing in a hospital is automatically superior to midwifery. Yet, despite living in a country with quality medical care, to this day African American women and babies are at higher risk for pregnancy and childbirth-related complications--and even death.
A 2004 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the most recent statistics available) reveals that African American women die three times more often than white women from preganancy-related complications. "This gap, which has persisted for more than 60 years, is the largest and most difficult disparity to understand in the area of maternal and child health." The study continues, "We need to develop strategies to improve the content of and access to prenatal care for all Black women--not just Black women at high risk, but also those considered at low risk."*
Now more than ever, the stresses Black women face in daily life--amplified a hundred fold in pregnancy--require that sistahs have all the resources, support, and options available to maximize their health and that of their infant. Maybe its time to reach back to time-honored and tested birthing resources of midwives and doulas to help fill this gap.
Shared commitment to healthy women and babies
Midwives are licensed and certified birthing professionals. Many are nurses carrying the credential "Certified Nurse Midwife" (CNM), offering labor and delivery support in the hospital or hospital-affiliated birthing centers. In addition, some CNMs provide out-of-hospital birthing options at a freestanding birthing center, or at a woman's home.
An additional class of midwives is the Licensed Midwife. Though they are not nurses, they undergo equally rigorous prenatal and birthing training, and are skilled at providing quality care.
Whether labor occurs in or out of the hospital, if complications arise, the midwife is well trained to diagnose the situation, anticipate any emergencies, and transfer mother and baby to a hospital for advanced medical intervention if necessary.
Another critical resource for women during labor, delivery and beyond is the Doula. A doula provides non-medical support for laboring women, offering "continuous emotional support and encouragement." Doulas are trained to assist women with non-medical pain relief and physical comfort as their bodies move through the different stages of labor. A signature feature of doula care is the continuously, uninterrupted attention throughout the birthing experience. Numerous studies indicate that the presence of a doula is an unrivaled asset to the birthing process whether with a doctor or midwife. Benefits of having a doula present include: shorter labors; fewer complications; and a reduced rate of babies admitted to special care nurseries.
"Pregnancy is not an illness!"Conception, pregnancy, and birth are biological functions in a woman's life--not illnesses. Yet the
medical model of pregnancy and birth has become the default view of this wondrous natural experience. You can choose who will "catch" your baby, as well as who will assist you throughout your prenatal and postpartum (after birth) care.
Before you go into auto-drive with the decision, stop. Think about the kind of birth experience you would like to have. Question who is the best partner to deliver that experience for you--not just deliver the baby. Where is the best setting within which to give birth? Who do you want present? What kind of support will you need?
Make a conscious birthing plan. Start by considering the birthing professional you engage. Interview several. Speak with their patients/clients. Visit the hospital or birthing center, and look around your own home to discern the setting most conducive to the birth experience you desire.
Most importantly, speak your truth. Tell your birthing team what you want for you and your baby. Write down your plan and share it with your birthing partners. These are the most important and impactful decisions you'll ever make. Learn all you can. Take charge of your body and your birth. That is what is means to be WHOLE.
For more information on midwifery, doulas, pregnancy, and birthing options, visit the following websites:
May is the month we celebrate mothers. Mother's Day generates the largest number of phone calls, the highest Sunday brunch attendance at restaurants, the greatest number of floral arrangements delivered, and a profusion of hugs and kisses from our children of all ages. As a mom, I'm deeply appreciative of the recognition on my "special day," and everyday. 
Many of us juggle family, work, money, bills, and time in a dizzying flurry of activity. Master jugglers that we are, too often we keep up with our daily responsibilities only by sheer will and heart. If we divert our focus for just a split second, all the balls we've tossed into the air come crashing down. As a result, our lives can feel like a circus sometimes, with us the exhausted ringmasters.
I get tremendous pleasure from experimenting with different foods and spices. So when figs started showing up in the grocery store, I was intrigued, but childhood memories of sticky, sweet Fig Newton cookies kept me from reaching for these plump little fruits.
