05/04/2026
The story I am about to share I am reposting from another post. Why am I posting this, because it definitely explains reasoning why I became a doula. -Divine Doula
Tatyana Ali, best known as Ashley from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, opened up about the traumatic experience she had during the birth of her first child and used it to highlight the very real issue of how Black women are treated in medical settings.
She explained that her pregnancy itself was healthy, but everything changed once she got to the hospital. Her birth plan wasn’t followed, and she described being physically restrained while in labor, calling the experience obstetric violence. At one point, she said her baby was already crowning, and medical staff pushed him back inside something she made clear is not a standard or safe procedure.
According to Ali, her medical records showed her baby went from the lowest station (ready to be delivered) back to the highest, with no clear explanation documented. She said the situation was extremely dangerous and could have seriously harmed her child. After birth, her baby had complications and wasn’t able to urinate on his own for several days.
It wasn’t until a pediatric urologist spoke up and acknowledged what happened during delivery that Ali felt seen. The doctor reportedly connected the baby’s condition to the trauma of the birth. Feeling unsafe and unheard, Ali said she and her family ultimately left the hospital in the middle of the night.
Black women are significantly more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, and while underlying health conditions are often cited, she emphasized that treatment inside hospitals plays a major role. The level of care, the way concerns are dismissed, and the trauma experienced during labor can be drastically different.
