It is no surprise that, when it comes to pregnancy, post-pregnancy and maternal mortality, women of color, especially Black women, have far worse outcomes than white women.

The CDC reports that Black women die at two-to-three times the rate of white women during the time when they are pregnant or within a year afterward. The reasons are many, but those figures have remained fairly constant, meaning little is being done to effectively change those outcomes. It is no wonder women of color are less than trusting when it comes to maternity wards, hospitals and mainstream medical care. 

Dr. Michele C. Reed said she became a doctor specifically because she is a woman of color and wanted to help address health disparities in her own community.

Nubia Earth Martin is a mother of five who took lessons from her own experiences and started Birth From the Earth to give women of color options when it comes to childbirth.

Both women agree on one thing: a major problem with Black women and reproductive health is that they feel that they are not being listened to by the medical community, and that doctors do not take their complaints seriously. 

Dr. Reed talked about her work every day to make sure she listens to her patients and that their reproductive needs are met, be that with contraception, issues with pregnancy, or help post-pregnancy. 

Martin spoke to her decision to create a completely different space for her patients, where women can choose the method of birth, and are surrounded by other women whose experiences with health care match their own. She talked about the services available at Birth From the Earth, like midwives and Doulas so moms and moms-to-be feel safe, and heard.