Elevating the Awareness of Black Maternal Health Week

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Published Date:April 15, 2026

Photo Courtesy of Black Mamas ATX

By Ali Weatherford

The evidence is overwhelming. There are significant disparities in outcomes for black women and families compared to others in the United States. Investigations into these differences have isolated the causes to one primary factor….inequities in maternity care.

That might be surprising for some. Maybe you don’t experience racism or injustice on a daily basis or ever. I live in a place that seems very equitable, which might sound fortunate, but it can also create blinders. In my hometown of South Austin, TX, I almost never encounter people who make hasty judgments of others based on outward appearances. But that’s just here and now. I’ve lived elsewhere and had different experiences growing up as a brown-skinned immigrant kid who didn’t speak English very well at first. I know these places exist, and that some people’s realities are very different from my very narrow current one. It’s also true that these inequities exist even in places where things seem equitable. Well-intentioned people can still operate blindly, led by implicit bias. Black Maternal Health Week is about recognizing the very different reality that black women are experiencing in maternity care.

The Statistics

The risks of pregnancy and birth are higher for black, brown, and indigenous people, and especially for black women. This is caused by a combination of factors, with systemic racism and implicit bias being the foundation of it all. This should not be happening. This is preventable.

The United States has some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world compared to other high resource countries. And mortality rates are more than double for black families. This is unacceptable.

The most recent national data available is for 2023. Let’s go over the numbers:

According to data from the National Vital Statistics System, the overall maternal mortality rate decreased from 2022 to 2023. All race and ethnicity groups experienced improvement with the exception of black women. For everyone else, the rates decreased significantly in 2023, but there was a slight increase for black women relative to the number of live births. Black birthing people experienced a mortality rate of .05% versus .015% for white people. That’s about 233% higher.

The charts below show the changes from 2022 to 2023. It’s important to notice the number of maternal deaths, but also pay attention to the number of live births. There were actually more white maternal deaths in number, but also a lot more live births, which means the ratio of births to deaths is actually much lower than for black parents. Also, it appears that the number of maternal deaths for black women decreased. It’s true that the total number actually did, but the ratio of live births to maternal deaths increased. The number of live births decreased more than the deaths for black women by about 20,000 from 2022 to 2023.

We see the same trends from the March of Dimes annual “Report Card”. This is really relevant and also more recent data.

Preterm birth rates as well as maternal mortality and severe morbidity are highest for black parents, according to this report. This is a reflection of a lot of different factors including the following:

- Access to and the quality of healthcare before, during, and after pregnancy.
- Health conditions that disproportionately affect black women.

The picture is disappointing, and many black families have very mixed emotions when they find out they are pregnant. There is often a lot of fear mixed in with the joy and optimism.

How Outcomes for Black Women Improve

It can sometimes feel like an unwinnable battle, but there are some things that can contribute to better outcomes.

Better prenatal care – The Irth App can help families find care that will be more likely to support and empower them on their childbearing journey. A midwifery model of care is also shown to improve outcomes.
Doula care – There is plenty of evidence showing that doula care improves outcomes. A doula can support and advocate for you during your pregnancy and through birth. Doulas can often provide postpartum care as well. This is important because people are especially vulnerable during the early postpartum period. Most maternal deaths occur after the birth.
Education – Learning about birth and your body can change the way you feel and how you enter your birth. It can help you make informed decisions for your care.
Birth planning – Once you understand more about birth and your options, a birth plan is a great way to focus and get everything down in one place. It’s an excellent way to learn and also to communicate your preferences to your care team.

What You Can Do to Help

There are organizations already mobilized to combat these disparities in care and outcomes for black families. I encourage you to find and support their efforts however you can. Financial contributions make a difference, but so do your actions and your voice. Find the organizations doing the work and offer to:

Donate
Volunteer
Listen
Write or call your local representatives and senators when important legislation is being voted on.

If you are local to Central Texas, please consider helping these organizations. They are doing the daily work of supporting families in your community.

An organization with nationwide reach is Commonsense Childbirth. This organization was founded by British midwife Jennie Joseph in response to this healthcare crisis. Jennie Joseph was one of 12 women selected as Time Magazine’s Women of the Year 2022. She has been working to improve outcomes since 2003 and has developed many proven programs that are making a difference including:

Clinical Health Services, a clinic and birth center in an underserved area of Florida.
The National Perinatal Task Force
The Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery

Commonsense Childbirth has impressive statistics even though they see low-risk and high-risk patients. In 2025, the patients of the Easy Access Florida clinic experienced very different outcomes from most of the country.

Of the 439 patients served:

There were 17 premature/low birth weight babies. That’s a rate of 3.9%. The Healthy People 2030 target for preterm birth is 9.4% of all live births. Commonsense Childbirth achieved a rate that is less than half of the national ideal target rate.
59 of their patients had cesarean births. That’s a 14% c-section rate. The national c-section rate in 2025 was 32.4%.
There were no mortalities.

There are proven ways to improve outcomes for black families. It’s important that we all support those efforts and spread the word. These programs are replicable, and just need the support of our communities to enhance and amplify their efforts and the efforts of all of the organizations and providers delivering culturally competent education, doula care, and healthcare.

References:

About the Author

Ali Weatherford, ICCE is the manager of Parent Education at Breastfeeding Success and a childbirth educator certified by the ICEA. She has also trained with Birthing From Within™, DONA International, Spinning Babies™, and regularly attends annual conferences and training related to childbirth education, perinatal mental health, and more because she will never be done learning! She has a BA in Psychology with a background in research and writing. When she’s not teaching and learning about birth, she’s probably cooking and hanging out with her two wonderful kids and many pets at home in Austin, TX.