BIRTHRITE

Birthing and mothering can be a mental and physical battle. The pandemic intensified the economic, social, and medical challenges of being Black and birthing. The mental health of Black women in New Orleans was tested to the brink. A mentally healthy mom is just as critical for positive birth outcomes as a mom who is physically while moving through a birthing experience.

For mom and for baby, BirthRite champions breastfeeding as a child’s first nutrition and source of comfort and connection. We also know a mother can only feed a child what is available to her internally and externally. We know that nourishment of the mind, body, and spirit are all vital to a healthy mother and child.

“Even though I had support, I was not mentally prepared for labor. I had a doula and a midwife. I was in pain, but I did not know I had to wait until a certain time to get an epidural. The conflict between obstetricians and midwives negatively impacted my experience.”

“I was homeless. My family was not helpful. I had no one. I was still trying to go to school and work. I do not think it was necessary to get a C-section. It was forced on me because it was easier for the doctor. C-sections have a longer recovery time than natural birth. I was stressed. My baby had jaundice. I had to make frequent trips to the hospital without adequate transportation and needed to find housing. I was doing everything alone, and it was stressful.”

BirthRite mothers participated in an intergenerational sharing as well. Grandmothers shared lessons and guidance from their lived experiences and shared healing wisdom from their expertise and spiritual practice. By gathering guidance that spanned centuries across the Diaspora and families, mothers of all ages could learn from others’ past while integrating with their own inner knowing to create a personal approach for the future.

“I lost my father the day before I gave birth. I did not cope well. I felt as if I had no one because my dad and I were close. I juggled grieving while having my first child. I became depressed after birth. I stopped journaling and praying. I feel as though I lost my mind, and I did not have anyone to talk to because I was the one who listened to everyone.”

Living Unseen, Listening Unheard

One participant recalls a moment in the NICU when the doctor told her information from the chart of another child in the neonatal unit. She continues, “My child was just a number. They see millions of babies. Doctors do not know everything, but a mom knows her child. I knew whether he was hungry or wet based on his cry because he was my child. He could not speak, but knew.”

“Black

Woman  

Mother

we are still here

mouths mask 

sorrows muted

we mother at the edge 

of madness & miscarriage

been waiting for the world 

to be sober & safe

our bodies invisible

before & always 

who will believe our

pain is human

who will feed

our babies justice 

who are we 

in a world of fire

but a river, a song

a Black miracle breathing…”

excerpt from: Mothers Unmasked by Kelly Harris-DeBerry, Poet

“They gave me medicine to induce labor. Because it was not working, they kept upping the dose without informing me. They pushed me to my limit. I was in so much pain that I threw up. This made my labor an unpleasant experience because of the extra meds. After labor they kept saying that my blood pressure was high, and I was a candidate for eclampsia. I knew I was fine. I decided to get up and get out because no one was listening to me. They treated me as though I did not know anything.”

“I was in the hospital for two days, and my other daughter could not come to visit. Neither could my parents. My husband and I are the only people who met my daughter. We did not have funeral services.”

The BirthRite initiative hosted a community baby shower for expectant New Orleans mothers. Among the many gifts was a journal entitled Mother’s Reflections by author Ty Salvant. The journal reminds women and mothers that they are worthy of celebration through self-reflection and elevated the importance of continuing to document their own journeys. Along with the journal, gifts were brought to the mothers from their community, family, and friends.

BirthRite Artist Spotlight: Kelly Love Jones