Bobbie for Change (the advocacy arm for the infant formula company Bobbie) organized a panel for women, tastemakers, and activists in West Hollywood to raise awareness of the maternal mortality crisis. Elaine Welteroth, a journalist, author and television personality was their partner. A new mother and #boymom, Welteroth has been vocal about her difficult pregnancy and how she decided to divest from a “traditional” hospital care model to enlist the help of a Black midwife, Kimberly Durdin, who was also a guest on the panel.
Weleroth suffered from debilitating pelvic discomfort during her 2021 pregnancy. It was caused by a condition called Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), that can affect up to one third of all pregnant women. She felt ignored, disregarded, marginalized, and unrespected during numerous doctor visits. This led to anxiety about her child’s eventual success.
“I was deeply disappointed and dejected by my experiences on this quest to find the right doctor. The doctor came to me every time I went to these appointments and I felt a shrinking effect. I felt small, scared, and silenced in these rooms. I was trying to find a doctor who was sensitive to my concerns and reassured me that I would not become a statistic,” she tells ESSENCE.
It wasn’t until Welteroth witnessed six vials of blood taken from her without her consent that she hit a breaking point. “The doctor wouldn’t take accountability or apologize for the error; instead, she gaslit me. I felt as if I was being invellerated. The Twilight Zone,” she says. “There’s a dissociation that many of us make for survival. We hear these statistics and must accept that these systems will bring about better outcomes for us. I am aware of my privileges – so the fact that I’m experiencing this mistreatment from eight different doctors tells me this systemic issue is very real. It is worse for women with similar looks to me. I knew there was a reason this must be happening to me because I needed to raise awareness about this.”
Through her traumatic experiences, Welteroth wanted to ensure that other Black women didn’t suffer in silence without communal support, advocacy, and safety. “I didn’t know that this could happen to me. And I wonder how many other women are experiencing this in silence, thinking it’s them? Because I thought something was wrong with me,” says Welteroth. “I thought it was me.”
She already felt trepidation about being pregnant due to the alarming maternal death rate in the United States – with Black women affected the most. According to the Population Reference Bureau, Black women are three-times more likely to die of a maternal cause than white women. This crisis disproportionately impacts Black families and mothers—who are three to four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Further, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 84% of maternal deaths in the United States are classified as “preventable.”
Welteroth hopes that her unfortunate birth story and other negative experiences can be used to make a difference in lowering these shocking statistics. She believes that every mother should strive to achieve more than just survival of childbirth.
Her own situation started to turn around when she met Durdin, midwife, and founder of Kindred Space LA, South Los Angeles’ only birthing center. Durdin, Welteroth, and her partner worked together to ensure safe childbirth that was rooted in care, support, and intention. She gave birth in her home in April 2022. “I immediately felt aligned with her mission, her values. It was a great idea to receive prenatal care by a Black woman who cares about solving this complex systemic problem facing our community. She was the one that told me she was going to take over my care because she saw the effects that these doctor’s appointments were having on me. And she was worried about me,” says Welteroth.
Duran and Charles Johnson (father of two, maternal care activist and founder of 4Kira4Moms) spoke about how important it is for Black women to go back to their roots by choosing a midwife or doula to give birth to their children.
According to Johnson, much work still needs to be done to improve the healthcare system, and he’s up for the challenge. “It’s imperative that when we discuss the grave realities of why our organization exists, we highlight what we can do to change the situation. We’re currently working with congress to pass key legislation, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act – an unprecedented set of bills addressing every aspect of the current maternal health crisis in America. It was introduced a year ago, and though it has not been finalized, we can ensure it is passed into federal law,” says Johnson.
Johnson and 4Kira4Moms are launching a new program – the Maternal Mortality Family Response Team – providing a full year of support via grief counseling, diapers, formula, food, and other essentials to care for and nourish babies and families who experience the tragedy of maternal loss through childbirth.
Bobbie for Change supports this initiative as they believe they have the power to fundamentally change what it takes to be a parent today in America, beginning at the very beginning of your life.
“Bobbie has never been about just selling formula. We exist to uplevel this industry – that’s why we founded Bobbie for Change, our social impact and policy arm, which helps drive societal change about the issues impacting our community and motherhood,” said Laura Modi, CEO, and co-founder of Bobbie and mother of three. “The maternal mortality crisis in this country is one of the issues that keep us up at night – ensuring a safe, equitable, and empowering birth, especially for Black mothers, is of critical importance, and we’re here to fight for it.”
For more information, visit https://www.bobbieforchange.org.
