CocoLife has been awarded a $100,000 grant from CVS Health to improve Black maternal health outcomes. CocoLife — a nonprofit founded by Alexia Omega Doumbouya in July 2019 — offers support through maternal health groups, one-on-one doula visits, and 24/7 doula assistance for mothers until they are 12 weeks postpartum, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. The need to support women in maternal health was inspired by a lived experience. According to The Philadelphia Citizen, Doumbouya had difficulties following the birth of her daughter in 2011, leading her to experience severe postpartum depression, psychosis, and anxiety. “I had this baby, and six weeks later I was expected to go back to work. And I just kept thinking How am I supposed to do this,” she explained, per the outlet. As time went on, she recognized other women had also faced challenges in their pregnancy journeys. This prompted her to become a trained certified doula prior to kickstarting CocoLife, which began...

Regularly, Black women come out and share their experiences of medical bias and racism. Now, model and actress Mary Katherine has come forward with her own horror story.

In an op-ed for Elle Magazine, Serena Williams opens up about her medical struggles while giving birth to her now four-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. As a world-class athlete, Williams has experienced a fair share of trials and tribulations, but giving birth would prove to be one of her most challenging. “Giving birth to my baby, it turned out, was a test for how loud and how often I would have to call out before I was finally heard,” Williams wrote. Initially, Serena Williams’ pregnancy journey was “wonderful” and she enjoyed the time for the most part, but then it became time to welcome Alexis into the world. Williams was not yet on epidural and she relied on her breath and the techniques she had acquired through birth training. With each contraction, the baby’s heart rate would swiftly decrease and Williams would have to turn on her side to restore it to normalcy. As contractions increased Williams was notified by doctors that she would be having a C-Section because...

What was supposed to be a joyous occasion turned out to be a day of mourning after the online community learned the news of YouTube star Nicole Thea’s death at age 24. Thea, who has nearly 77,000 subscribers on YouTube, was based in the U.K. and known for sharing many aspects of her life including her travels, beauty regimen, and relationship with fellow YouTuber, Global Boga. Two months ago, Nicole released a video revealing that she and Boga were expecting a baby. The two were planning to have a son, which they named Reign, and had been using their channel to share the progress of Nicole’s first pregnancy. Unfortunately, as Nicole was expected to give birth on Saturday morning, something went wrong. In an Instagram statement from Nicole’s family, it was revealed that both mother and son did not make it. She was 8 months pregnant. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicole Thea – QR2 (@nicoletheatv) Nicole had already pre-scheduled videos to go out and, according to her...

With the National Center for Health Statistics reporting that the maternal mortality rate for Black women is roughly two times the rate of their white counterparts, BirthFUND is on a mission to change the narrative. Created by award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Elaine Welteroth, the BirthFUND program has raised a total of more than $1.2 million and is working toward its mission to provide “a direct solution to combat the maternal health crisis by raising funds and awareness for midwifery care.” “Every day, I am motivated to make a difference on this issue because of the unfathomable loss of life too many families experience during and after childbirth in this country and all across the world,” Welteroth told AFROTECH™ . “The preventable deaths of mothers like April Valentine and Kira Johnson — both due to gross medical negligence — are constant reminders to me of the urgency and importance of this issue. The devastating reality is that they could have...

MacKenzie Scott’s latest Yield Giving Open Call exceeded its initial expectations. In March 2023, Yield Giving, founded by the billionaire and philanthropist, launched the initiative to back community-led, community-focused organizations that actively support people “in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States,” per the organization’s website. On Mar 19, 2024, CNN reported that Scott donated $640 million to 361 non-profits. Initially, 250 organizations were to be awarded $1 million each. However, with over 6,000 applicants, the donation plan expanded. “We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change — which managed the Yield Giving Open Call — per the release. “In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.” According to the release, Birthing...

It is repeatedly brought to the attention of Black women that they are not afforded the same considerations as white women while pregnant or following childbirth.

Because men need to prepare when it comes to the birth of a baby too! According to Spectrum News1, Carson native Dustin Young has always had questions about the birthing process. Now, as a certified doula, he is helping others through the birth process and encouraging men to join him in making Black moms have safer births. “As I got older, I just kind of like look at women as gods essentially, which you guys are,” said Young. He credits his baby sister as the reason he became a doula after he says her medical team wasn’t supportive, leaving her to face a difficult pregnancy alone. “Her fifth month, she went to the doctor and had some bad news,” continued Young. “She found out the heartbeat stopped, and she had a stillbirth.” When a second chance for his sister came around, Young would not allow her to do it alone. He located a doula and became an assistant. He then helped his sister while she was in labor at home for hours before escorting her to the hospital to help with his...