Racism and Maternal and Infant Mortality in the United States
Art of Opening is a dedicated practice that is striving to be a safe space for midwifery students of color and / or LGBTQ. As we look to the support structures for families of color and of the LGBTQ community, we find worse outcomes in the United States for maternal and infant mortality along with a rise of trauma in pregnancy, labor, and birth. The reasons behind these statistics are found to be in the stresses of racism and discrimination. The disparities for Black and Indigenous people are up to 4 times the maternal and infant mortality rate as white and the answer seems to lie in midwifery care practices by those within a similar community culture. It is therefore part of our foundational ethics as a practice that we work to shift this paradigm through supporting and growing midwives. Although we only have a few students in our practice, there are many places you can donate for individuals in their birth worker journey.
For more information about these statistics and more you can take a deeper dive in these resources:
How Racism Impacts Pregnancy Outcomes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8fuzh4d544&list=PLEF0280B25D0841C4&index=4
National Perinatal Taskforce http://www.commonsensechildbirth.org/how-you-can-help-maternal-health/#more-951
NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27187582
Unnatural Causes, is inequality making us sick? http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/video_clips_detail.php?res_id=70
Evidence Based Birth. Research on Racism and Matenral Health https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birth-justice/
For opportunities to donate towards programs that are funding midwifery scholarships check out the following resources:
Monarch Midwives: https://www.instagram.com/monarchmidwivesorg/
The Elephant Circle: https://www.elephantcircle.net/birthworkers-of-color-scholarship-fundraising-campaign
Black Midwives Association to Advance Black Birth: https://thenaabb.org/midwifrey-scholarship/
Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery Scholarship: https://kindest.com/scholarship-for-black-student-midwives?fbclid=IwAR17QSpfZL-lhKWjwxGcC2j6yMG-yxFIyQLjGZiHBelHrPt_SgKh0Iq8tws
Commonsense Midwifery Scholarship: https://commonsensemidwifery.org/donate/
National College of Midwifery Scholarship: https://www.midwiferycollege.edu/scholarships
BIPOC aspiring midwives: https://bipocaspiringmidwives.com/scholarship
The Grand Challenge: http://www.thegrandchallenge.org/midwife-training/
Mercy in Action: https://www.mercyinaction.com/scholarships/
LGBTQ specific information and disparties:
Sexual Orientation Disparities in Pregnancy and Infant Outcomes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6501574/
LGBTQ patients face discrimination and erasure when seeking reproductive health care: https://bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/news/lgbtq-patients-face-discrimination-and-erasure-when-seeking-reproductive-health-care
Safety of Homebirth
Birthplace Study 2011
https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/birthplace
Bodywork and Positioning in Pregnancy
http://spinningbabies.com
British Medical Journal on North American CPM’s safety
http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7505/1416
Canadian Medical Journal on homebirth safety
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.081869
Citizens for Midwifery
http://www.cfmidwifery.org
The Farm
http://www.thefarm.org/charities/mid.html
Want to do something? Increasing the number of midwives of color serving their communities is essential.
Or inquire with your local midwife about local programs that can make a difference for local families in the greater San Diego region!
The Art of Opening 