Black Pregnant Women Are Turning to Midwives for Personalized Care

Photojournalist Karen Kasmauski documents the the work of Black midwives and doulas, who are making progress against staggering racial disparities in birthing outcomes. In Virginia, for instance, Black women are over twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. But families and state governments alike are increasingly turning to midwifery for respectful care, and for a solution to the current crisis in Black maternal health.

Kasamauski's photographs illuminate how midwives support women of color through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, whether they choose to give birth at home, at the birth center, or at a hospital. They include embedded audio and images of Black women attending classes, giving birth, and receiving care.

I get a lot of clients, especially Black women, who have had trauma during their last pregnancies. They didn't like how they were treated at the hospital. They did not appreciate not feeling heard or supported. That seems to be a recurring theme.

SOURCE: Pulitzer Center • AUTHOR: Karen Kasmauski and Louis Hansen • LAST UPDATED: August 8, 2023