UCSF

Black women have a disturbingly disproportionate risk of experiencing obstetric emergencies and mortality during childbirth and in the postpartum period compared to all other races in the United States. Black birthing people are dying on average at a rate three to four times higher than other racial and cultural demographics across the United States (Bond, 2011). The lack of representation, culturally concordant and patient-centered care received by Black birthing people, in conjunction with a prolonged history of medical mistrust, contribute to the prevalence of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes that affect Black birthing people and birthing people of color. This secondary analysis uses interview transcripts from research that explored the motivators and barriers of aspiring BIPOC midwives to their pursuit of midwifery to examine how awareness and knowledge of the history of Black and traditional midwifery influences BIPOC aspiring midwives. This secondary analysis uses a thematic analysis approach informed by the conceptual framework of Black Feminist thought to explore the impact of the awareness of the history of midwifery on aspiring midwives and uncover the “calling” participants identify as the driver to pursing their birth journey.