With advancements in technology and healthcare procedures, giving birth should not be an imminently fatal experience — and yet, Black mothers across the U.S. are putting their lives on the line when they step into a hospital.
Black women experience maternal mortality two to three times more than their white counterparts, according to the CDC, with 43 Black women dying per every 100,000 births. But the CDC admits that 60% of mortality and morbidity birth outcomes for all women were preventable. Nicha Cumberbatch, a Black doula, physician’s assistant and director of population health curriculum at virtual primary care provider, Spora Health, knows firsthand what’s at risk for Black women giving birth in a healthcare system that does not train against biases.
