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Black women are about three times more likely to die than white women during or after childbirth, and this health epidemic is starting to gain national attention.
The Mid-Missouri Black Doula Collective (MMBDC) hosted a community viewing of “Aftershock,” a documentary that goes in depth about this disparity, over the weekend to spread awareness about the Black maternal mortality rate in America.
A doula provides advice, emotional support and comfort to a mother throughout her pregnancy and afterward. Doulas don’t help in the literal birthing process like a midwife, but they are present in the delivery room with their clients to put them at ease.
“Our organization’s mission is to help lower the maternal mortality rates and traumatic birthing experiences for all women,” founder of MMBDC and doula Erica Dickson said, “but specifically women who the data shows are more likely…to die during childbirth and more likely to have traumatic birthing experiences.”
The Hulu original follows the stories of three Black women, two of whom are deceased, and how the healthcare industry failed in recognizing their health complications during or after their pregnancies and resolving the problem in a timely manner.
Health professions and the partners of the deceased also talked about their experiences and how this affects Black women across the country.
“There’s clearly a problem among women of color,” Jeadawn Cropp , one of the doulas, said in an interview after the event. “We’re just trying to start, in a smaller community, getting it out there that there is a problem and that we need to solve it.”
Cropp also acknowledges that change is going to take time and won’t be “solved” right away.
Immediately after the documentary, there was a processing session, and people shared their thoughts about the documentary and the current crisis. A few people shared their experiences with childbirth that were similar to the experiences of the women in the documentary.
Due to the nature of the documentary and the sensitivity of the topic, the names and accounts told by members in the processing were not recorded.
A study found that in 2018 Missouri ranked 42nd in the nation for maternal mortality rate.
“The ranking of Missouri was something that I found out about after I was certified as a doula,” Dickson said.
Dickson said being a resident here and a mother of three inspired her to take action.
Cropp says the work of the organization is “very crucial at this point” than ever because of the lack of resources, including reproductive rights for all women, regardless of race, ethnicity or background.
“Our rights are being taken away, and we’re here to stand for them and let them know that they have support in this time.”
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