Soon-to-be mothers deserve to hear positive Black birth stories — these are not details that should be held back. Especially when narratives about our tragic, often preventable, deaths are recycled constantly.
Having access to informative, supportive maternal healthcare could also mean the difference between a healthy birth and baby and tragedy. This has especially been true during the pandemic when pregnant women became more vulnerable to complications due to COVID-19.
The global health crisis forced these moms to prepare for and give birth in isolation as restrictions became the norm.
However, out of it all came more options for maternal telehealth as providers and companies leaned on remote care to meet their needs.
Apps and other technologies started to boom, but that doesn’t mean all Black moms get to experience the benefits of tools that require internet access.
The digital divide, or the gap between people who have access to technology and those who don’t, hits Black families hard — especially those living in poverty or rural areas.
The Black Birthing Joyline Makes Maternal Education Accessible to Everyone
Kimberly Seals Allers, the host of Birthright Podcast, has an accessible, non-medical, short-term solution for Black birthing people: the Black Birthing Joyline. (Full disclosure, I provided creative support to the Birthright Podcast, as well as the Irth App, and the Black Birthing Joyline.)
By dialing 844-5-GETJOY, callers can listen to audio clips from Seals Allers’ podcast, which feature joyful narratives about birth from birthing people, their partners, doulas, and midwives.
The Joyline is free for anyone who has a phone with calling capabilities. A text option is also available but requires an internet connection.
A Need for Flexible Virtual Care
A report published last August in the Georgetown Medical Review suggested that providers should be flexible when offering virtual maternal care because of unequal access to the…
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