As a 25-year-old woman with no children, I never thought I had a place in the conversation around maternal health care. I’ve always envisioned becoming a mother someday—but in the abstract. I figured it would happen after I found the right partner (or not) and landed a stable job. In my mind, parenthood was just another task on the long list of things to do in adulthood.
But attending the birthFUND x The Bump’s Black Maternal Health Week event shifted my mindset. I realized that, especially as a Black woman, thinking ahead about potential pregnancy isn’t just smart. It’s essential.
“Find midwives and community birth workers in your area and cultivate these relationships before you need them. Ask the questions before your life is on the line,” journalist, educator and birthFUND founder Elaine Welteroth told 21Ninety.
Becoming a mother transforms you in more ways than one. From pregnancy to creating a birth plan, there are countless decisions to make and some of those decisions could be the difference between life and death.
Welteroth founded birthFUND in 2024 to help address this urgent reality. With support from celebrity moms like Serena Williams, Kelly Rowland and Ayesha Curry, the nonprofit has already helped cover the cost of holistic perinatal care and midwifery support for many Black and brown women.
“Too often we’re reactive and wait until we’re pregnant, possibly in a compromising situation within the medical industrial complex. By that point, for some, it’s too late. Educate yourself,” Welteroth added. “You can’t wait for the world to inform you—or even your doctor. There are so many organizations trying to raise awareness.”
It’s no secret that having a baby as a Black woman in the U.S. is dangerous. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a maternal mortality rate of 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births for non-Hispanic Black women—2.6 times higher than the rate for white women.
Supporting organizations like birthFUND gives Black women more than resources. It gives them agency. Investing in midwives and doulas, alongside traditional Western care, can be life-saving.
Thursday’s event, titled “Motherhood Unfiltered: Real Conversations, Real Power,” featured a panel discussion celebrating birthFUND’s one-year anniversary. Panelists included Welteroth, physician and advocate Dr. Uché Blackstock, CNN news anchor Abby Phillip, and author Jen Haye Lee. The conversation was vulnerable, heartfelt, and real.
Topics ranged from balancing career and motherhood to navigating the healthcare system’s shortcomings. The panelists were honest about the realities Black mothers face—and the need for informed, culturally competent care.
Medical intervention saves lives, but it’s not the only solution. Midwifery and holistic perinatal support help fill the gap in a healthcare system still shaped by systemic racism. For Black women, these tools aren’t just optional—they’re a path to empowerment and survival.