69. Black Maternal Health, Wealth & Wellness
As Black women, and especially mothers, one of the things we have to come to terms with is how, historically, we’ve often been treated as vessels—completely lacking our own agency. Whether it was our enslaved ancestors made to give birth with no compassion or downtime or the current discrepancies that exist in Black maternal health, there’s no shortage of examples of mistreatment in Black motherhood. Amazingly, though, there are a number of women who are using their time and resources to change that dynamic for others and for our future generations.
Today in honor of Black Maternal Health Week, you’ll hear one of my favorite episodes of Mamaste to date. I brought together five amazing mothers who are pushing the culture forward and taking agency over our own health when it comes to pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum experience.
Join me as I welcome Ericka Dorsey and Tamesha Valverde, co-founders of Flourishing Families, Karesha Boyd, Flourishing Families doula/advocate, Alia McCants, Founder of Spelmoms Facebook group, and Vanessa Simmons, Founder & CEO of Normalize Breastfeeding. We’re talking about their experiences with motherhood, what their time breastfeeding meant to them, and the incredible importance of giving ourselves grace and space as mothers.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
A little about everyone and their passions and superpowers (08:18)
Tamesha’s incredible experience helping out a friend with twins (15:00)
How Ericka became an advocate for breastfeeding (18:16)
The group’s thoughts on formula feeding and its usefulness (22:44)
The issues surrounding selling breast milk for profit, especially in the Black community (24:50)
The group’s advice to soon-to-be mamas and how they can advocate for themselves (31:17)
How the dismissal of Black women’s choice is ingrained in our DNA, but we can reclaim that agency (35:44)
Connect with My Guests:
Flourishing Families on Instagram
New Beginnings Birth Consulting
Vanessa Simmons on Normalize Breastfeeding
Let’s Connect!