Birth without fear: Californians deserve possibilities for motherhood

By Erika Moore-Smith, special for Calmatters

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In 2018, I entered my doctor’s office, a recently pregnant and excited to hear my baby’s heart rhythm for the first time. I left to be ashamed of my body.

The doctor did not ask about my medical history, my lifestyle or my goals for birth. She didn’t even take blood tests. Instead, she looked me up and down and said she would probably develop gestational diabetes and high blood pressure and I would probably need a C-section.

None of these forecasts were based on facts – just how I look. (I am a black woman with a smaller one than the middle construction.) What was to be one of the most joyous stages of my life was replaced with fear, sadness and disappointment.

As a medical social worker, I knew that her words should not be my story. But I couldn’t get rid of the thought: how many other women – especially women who look like me – come out of medical offices, believing these words and internalizing fear and shame because the doctor is considered an expert?

Too many women – especially black women – enter pregnancy, bearing fear.

We have read the statistics: in California, a The woman dies every five days Average, time or after birth, but black mothers are almost Four times more likely to die than others. African Americans represent 5% of pregnancies, but 21% of pregnancy-related deaths.

Black women have also heard stories about celebrities such as Serina Williams almost dies After birth, because her concerns were not taken seriously. We wonder: if they didn’t listen to her, why would they listen to me?

Therefore, alternatives like a midwife and Doula Care are not just “nice extras” for wealthy future parents. They are life -saving, cost -effective healthcare opportunities that need to be covered and accessible to any woman, especially for black women who can use tranquility.

My search for better pregnancy care

My fears came at the beginning of my pregnancy. I told myself that if I die at birth, at least I did it at 30. It sounds dramatic, but for many colorful women she feels a reality. This first obstetric meeting only strengthened these fears.

I turned away from traditional obstetric care and my husband and I explored alternatives and chose the midwife birth center. This meant paying for free $ 9,000 when my insurance would cover free hospital care. But for me, safety meant to respect, listen and take care of a person as a whole.

The difference was transformative. The midwives never rushed me. They invited questions and explained each option, they give priority to my voice and prepared me and my husband through the prenatal hours.

The study is clear: When women have access to midwives and doules, The results are improvingS There are less unnecessary interventions, less complications and more positive birth experiences.

Hospitals will always play an important role in maternity care, but birth should not be limited to them. For women who are good candidates for birth outside the hospital, the midwife and doula care must be encouraged and supported by our healthcare system.

Instead, Half of the birth centers in California have closed In recent years. Midwives say it’s partly because The state makes receipt and maintaining a license too hardS Legislators have recently passed a measurement that would remove some of these barriersS The Assembly Bill 55 expects – and deserves – the signature of Governor Gevin Newo.

Some Medi-Cal health plans cover the services of Doula and Actwieter, but they should be no exception. All health insurance plans must cover these services.

Just as important, doctors need better training how to talk to patients. The way medical suppliers talk to women at the beginning of pregnancy can shape all their experience. Instead of fear -based forecasts, women deserve informed, respectful conversations that empower them to trust their bodies and their choice.

In 2020, California began to require hospitals to train work and unconscious delivery. Many hospitals have not yet started trainingS

In my case, my doula has provided emotional support and intercession. She and the midwife gave me confidence and peace, treating me as a person, not as a risk control list.

I gave birth to my first daughter for four hours without developing high blood pressure or gestational diabetes or needed a C-section. When I got pregnant again, I chose a home birth. The first hands we touched our second daughter were my husband.

It was calm, beautiful and healing – all that was once told is not possible for me.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.