Dr. Ndidiya Maka Amutah-Onukagha

Supporting births in home settings, in birthing centers, now became a criminal offense. We know that the midwifery model is a successful one, but we know that this is problematic because just like the history of obstetrics and gynecology, Black women who were not prioritized in that space were pushed out and really a whole generation of midwives was seemingly obliterated.

Supporting births in home settings, in birthing centers, now became a criminal offense. We know that the midwifery model is a successful one, but we know that this is problematic because just like the history of obstetrics and gynecology, Black women who were not prioritized in that space were pushed out and really a whole generation of midwives was seemingly obliterated.

Once we went to the credentialing process, you had to be a nurse midwife or you had to be some type of credentialed midwife. It removed a lot of the autonomy that Black midwives had had. The field of midwifery also became very whitewashed and very white-led. And I think that's where we lost a lot of it.

Once we went to the credentialing process, you had to be a nurse midwife or you had to be some type of credentialed midwife. It removed a lot of the autonomy that Black midwives had had. The field of midwifery also became very whitewashed and very white-led. And I think that's where we lost a lot of it.

Once we went to the credentialing process, you had to be a nurse midwife or you had to be some type of credentialed midwife. It removed a lot of the autonomy that Black midwives had had. The field of midwifery also became very whitewashed and very white-led. And I think that's where we lost a lot of it.

The irony about this whole maternal health crisis is that by pushing Black midwives out of a discipline that we created when we were in need, Now we need more Black midwives. And so there's a whole push for getting more midwives back to the table and training more midwives and getting more midwives credentialed.

The irony about this whole maternal health crisis is that by pushing Black midwives out of a discipline that we created when we were in need, Now we need more Black midwives. And so there's a whole push for getting more midwives back to the table and training more midwives and getting more midwives credentialed.

The irony about this whole maternal health crisis is that by pushing Black midwives out of a discipline that we created when we were in need, Now we need more Black midwives. And so there's a whole push for getting more midwives back to the table and training more midwives and getting more midwives credentialed.

We would not have had to do that if it had not been usurped by white women and, frankly, the healthcare system. And finding another way to push Black people out of organically delivering safely and supporting births. We need more Black midwives because we know that when patients and providers are

We would not have had to do that if it had not been usurped by white women and, frankly, the healthcare system. And finding another way to push Black people out of organically delivering safely and supporting births. We need more Black midwives because we know that when patients and providers are

We would not have had to do that if it had not been usurped by white women and, frankly, the healthcare system. And finding another way to push Black people out of organically delivering safely and supporting births. We need more Black midwives because we know that when patients and providers are

are congruent, so you have a provider and a patient from the same racial background, there's better outcomes. This cycle is all predicated in racism. It's similar to what we saw in obstetrics. This is why we don't have a lot of OBGYNs of color.

are congruent, so you have a provider and a patient from the same racial background, there's better outcomes. This cycle is all predicated in racism. It's similar to what we saw in obstetrics. This is why we don't have a lot of OBGYNs of color.

are congruent, so you have a provider and a patient from the same racial background, there's better outcomes. This cycle is all predicated in racism. It's similar to what we saw in obstetrics. This is why we don't have a lot of OBGYNs of color.

We need a more diverse perinatal and maternal health care workforce, which includes doulas, midwives, nurses, OBGYNs, maternal fetal medicine, doctors, which is a specialized obstetric provider. We need more of them to be from communities of color, to be from underserved backgrounds, to be immigrants, have different language abilities and come from different backgrounds.

We need a more diverse perinatal and maternal health care workforce, which includes doulas, midwives, nurses, OBGYNs, maternal fetal medicine, doctors, which is a specialized obstetric provider. We need more of them to be from communities of color, to be from underserved backgrounds, to be immigrants, have different language abilities and come from different backgrounds.

We need a more diverse perinatal and maternal health care workforce, which includes doulas, midwives, nurses, OBGYNs, maternal fetal medicine, doctors, which is a specialized obstetric provider. We need more of them to be from communities of color, to be from underserved backgrounds, to be immigrants, have different language abilities and come from different backgrounds.

We need all these people at the table because ultimately, when we are trying to figure out how to reduce unnecessary and completely preventable deaths, we need people that have lived experience in that space.

We need all these people at the table because ultimately, when we are trying to figure out how to reduce unnecessary and completely preventable deaths, we need people that have lived experience in that space.

We need all these people at the table because ultimately, when we are trying to figure out how to reduce unnecessary and completely preventable deaths, we need people that have lived experience in that space.