01/04/2026
Maternal Morbidity in African American Women
This is Dr. Janell Green- Smith, a Certified Nurse Midwife who dedicated her life to bringing healthy babies into the world and to take care of pregnant moms.
Tragically, she lost her life giving birth to her first child a few days ago. As horrifying and heartbreaking as this is, this is the norm for African American Women in this country.
As a previous labor and delivery nurse, I needed to weigh in on this. The maternal morbidity rates in the US among AA women are extremely high and have been for decades.
Did you know the Black woman is 3-4 times more likely to die in childbirth than any other race? This is a topic that has been discussed with so many articles trying to explain why, but nothing changes.
Imagine going in to deliver your first child, a day that is typically filled with joy and excitement, only to end in tragedy. Why?
For years they have discussed healthcare access or lack there of, lack of insurance, comorbidities as potential factors.
It is true systemic racism is the leading driver and when something feels wrong during the experience, no one listens and her voice is silenced and never heard.
What I can tell you is when something goes wrong on the L&D unit, we literally have seconds to remedy it. The clock is ticking and if the nurses, physicians and the entire team aren't swift enough, it can result in poor outcomes.
The maternal morbidity issues in Black women has not improved over the years, in fact, it feels worse and women are dying every day, while no one listens.
Since we know Black women are at significant risks, we need to implement strategies and protocols to keep her safe. The Healthcare team taking care of her needs to listen and the nurses standing at the bedside, need to advocate for her.
This narrative needs to change and something needs to be done.
Today, we celebrate her life and thank her for the extraordinary work she did. We pray for her family and friends who are now faced with navigating life without her. REST IN POWER MY SISTER!
Today we also want to increase awareness to the maternal morbidity rates in Black women in our country and petition the health systems including providers, and team members to implement effective strategies to keep our women safe in childbirth.
&wellness