There has been a high rate of mortality among black women in the United States during childbirth. There has been a disturbing trend where black women are always at risk of dying during childbirth or as a result of pregnancy complications compared to white women. Beyond the dangers that come with being pregnant, black women often find themselves being neglected and ignored after giving birth, significantly when they raise concerns about their well-being during this time. Most of these black women find themselves providing delivery through cesarean sections, commonly known as C-sections. This procedure is delicate; when one is not well taken care of, there might be life-threatening complications. These issues being faced by black women are not being talked about as much as they should. This paper explores the reasons behind these issues through the use of scholarly articles, documentaries, and expert opinion to help shed light on why black women are at risk during and after childbirth compared to white women.
According to studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women capitulating to pregnancy-related complications is three to four times higher compared to other racial groups. This is mainly attributed to the high rate of racism within the healthcare system. Black women are not as monitored as white women during and after pregnancy because of their race and economic status. black women have reported facing barriers in the health system that have impacted the quality of healthcare they receive during and after pregnancy. There have been cases where when a black woman gives birth through c-section, their concerns about their health are dismissed because most healthcare providers undervalue them. For example, when Serena Williams gave birth to her daughter through a C-section, she experienced a pulmonary embolism a day after giving birth. When she raised her concerns, the medical employees dismissed them and wasted time before a diagnosis could be made, and she got the treatment she deserved (Campoamor). She was ignored because of her race.
Before a mother considers a C-section, there are many things put into consideration. Even though nowadays, C-section is regarded as a life-saving procedure, it poses a risk for black women, which worsens maternal health issues. Most black women undergo hysterectomy, which is the removal of a woman’s reproductive organs after giving birth to children through C-section. When most of these women go through this procedure, they receive poor maternal care, which leads to complications like infections and blood clots. In most cases, a C-section is considered in high-risk pregnancies where the mother has no other option. However, overusing this procedure has increased, which has led to many mothers being exposed to the dangers of this surgery. Despite the risks, black mothers have been found to go through this procedure more than other women (Huesch and Doctor 956). This leads to many of them suffering longer after birth as they struggle to recover, and others end up dying.
History has shown that black women’s bodies are problematic during childbirth compared to white women. Women’s pelvic structures differ based on their ethnicity and their geographical areas. Medical practitioners should be taught how to handle different bodies during childbirth. However, instead of teaching medical practitioners how to deliver babies from different body shapes in a world of different ethnicities, medical books and trainers use the typical white women’s pelvis as the standard body for vaginal deliveries. Because of this, medical practitioners opt to do C-sections for black women because it is easier for them. This puts them at risk because some of these women do not know how to take care of themselves after S-sections, and others do not have the right support system, which results in life-threatening complications.
During giving birth, the mothers need to have a say in how they want to deliver their babies. In most cases, those who are willing to opt for a C-section are those who believe that it is less painful compared to standard delivery. However, most black women are not presented with these options. The medical providers give these mothers no chance to choose what they want. For instance, some black women are told that if they have given birth to their first child through C-section, they are not eligible for a standard delivery. Considering that these women are the sole caregivers of their newborns, they end up overworking themselves a few days after giving birth, and they get infections. Other black women are blamed for not eating healthy during pregnancy or having petite and uptight bodies, which leads to them giving birth through C-sections even though they would have wanted a different method. The blame on mothers by caregivers leads to most black women undergoing C-sections, which leads to complications.
The issues that black women face extend into the postpartum period, where they end up having mental and physical problems. During the postpartum period, any mother, regardless of their race, needs a lot of care and support. This is mainly because having a newborn child is an entirely different phase, which is, at times, hard to navigate, especially for mothers who are healing from giving birth. In most cases, when black women complain that they are not feeling well after giving birth, they end up being dismissed. One mother said, “It’s like they didn’t trust me with my own bodily decisions.” the doctors did not explain to her what they were doing to her (Miller and Kliff). This ignorance from the doctors and nurses can lead to fatal consequences for their physical and mental health. Studies show that black women are most of the time not believed when they complain about their health after childbirth because their experience is doubted. This puts these women at a higher risk of experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety, which highlights the need to have responsive postpartum care. In developing countries, it has been noted that medical insurance companies do not extend their service to women after childbirth; they are left to figure things out on their own, which is scary and depressing.
Black women are often dismissed when they express their concerns that something is not right after childbirth because of stereotypes and implicit bias. Most healthcare providers have implicit biases that affect the postpartum care that black women receive. The stereotype that black women have high pain tolerance, which is connected to the slavery period of black people, makes most healthcare ignore them when they complain. This is because they believe that black people can endure pain, which leads them to dismiss them and not give an accurate assessment of their condition, aggravating the differences in healthcare outcomes compared to their white counterparts, who are believed to have low pain tolerance.
There has been a history of medical exploitation and unethical experiments on black people, which has led to mistrust among medical practitioners and black people. This seep-seated mistrust has influenced many black women not to speak up or seek medical help after giving birth (Martin and Montagne). Most of these women believe that when they seek help from healthcare providers, they will be discriminated against because of their race. They, in turn, end up doing everything by themselves after giving birth, which is hectic and can affect them psychologically. We all need some help at some point, but most black women opt not to ask for help, especially from healthcare providers. There have been instances where black women pretend to be okay during childbirth so that they cannot be given an epidural. They end up stressing their bodies and even hurting the babies during delivery.
Additionally, black women may be dismissed after giving birth when they feel something is not suitable because of a lack of cultural competency training among healthcare providers. Most healthcare providers are not trained on how to handle women after they give birth or what complaints they should or should not ignore. This lack of training can contribute to postpartum concerns being dismissed, and this, in turn, discourages women from raising their concerns after giving birth. Awareness and understanding should be raised of the unique issues that women face after giving birth, especially in a racially diverse community. Healthcare providers, at times, are oblivious to the fact that women’s bodies are different and that what a black woman might experience after giving birth is not similar to what a white woman could experience. Postpartum care should be made available for everyone regardless of their race, and all women should be seen with their concerns being addressed with urgency.
Economic disparities are another issue that black women face during pregnancy and childbirth. Most black women belong to the low socioeconomic class compared to their white counterparts. This limits their access to quality healthcare and prenatal services, which puts them at a higher risk of complications during childbirth or after childbirth. According to research, the economic inequality that exists between black women and white women creates barriers for black women in need of prenatal and postpartum services. This calls for the need for policies that address social determinants of health, including educational and economic differences, that will help reduce the mortality rate among black women that result from pregnancy or childbirth.
In conclusion, issues that black women face during birth should be addressed. These issues range from misinformation during C-sections to poor quality postpartum care. Black women, like any other women, should have access to quality health care during pregnancy and after giving birth. Medical practitioners should be trained to understand black women’s bodies, which is different from the standard white women’s bodies. The risks associated with C-sections highlight the need to have comprehensive maternal healthcare for all women. Identifying and dealing with barriers that contribute to increasing the risks faced by women in maternal healthcare is essential in building a healthy and equitable society.
Works Cited
Campoamor, Danielle. “Alexis Ohanian Shares His Fears About Wife Serena Williams Having Baby No. 2.” TODAY.com, 7 July 2023, www.today.com/parents/celebrity/alexis-ohanian-shares-fears-serena-williams-childbirth-rcna93141
Huesch, Marco, and Jason N. Doctor. “Factors Associated With Increased Cesarean Risk Among African American Women: Evidence From California, 2010.” PubMed Central (PMC), www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4386542/.
Martin, Nina, and Renee Montagne. “Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth. Shalon Irving’s Story Explains Why.” NPR, 7 Dec. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why.
Miller, Claire C., and Sarah Kliff. “Nytimes.com.” The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos, 6 May 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/upshot/black-births-maternal-mortality.html.
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