179: Black Women Birthing Justice

06/08/20 • 51 min

We are talking with Professor Chinyere Oparah and Dr. Sayida Peprah, who are part of the Black Women Birthing Justice collective. Today we are discussing some of the research they have done and the report called Battling over Birth. Highlights from our discussion include the power dynamics in the birthing environment for black women, history of sexual survivor issues and how that might impact the birthing experience, empowering Black women in the birth space and some glimpses into what the Battling over Birth report recommends.

Julia Chinyere Oparah is a social justice educator, collective leader, activist scholar, and experienced community organizer who has spent over two decades producing critical scholarship in the service of progressive social movements. Oparah is Provost and Dean of the Faculty and professor of Ethnic Studies at Mills College, and she was educated at Cambridge University and Warwick University

Show Highlights:

Black Women Birthing Justice: A collective of African-American Caribbean, and multi-racial women who are sharing about the negative experiences they’ve had in their maternal care and childbirth
How a negative birth experience can be turned around with a great midwife and doula team
How the actions that are being taken by medical providers are disempowering black women
How BWBJ began in 2011 with a Research Justice project, with over 100 women being open and honest about their stories
Battling Over Birth: a human rights report that unpacks the stories of those 100 women and how they found themselves in conflict with their medical providers
Before the sharing circles, some of the women had no idea of what they had missed out on in their birth experiences
The comparison with this topic and the sexual survivors of the Me Too movement, and how their birth experiences are re-triggering and re-traumatizing, with further victimization
How doctors use fear-based coercion to get the women to do what THEY want
The ramifications and implications for these women, along with the potential stress and trauma
The opportunity to change the narrative and “do it differently”
How to have empowerment in the birth experience, including how providers interact with you for physical exams during labor and birth
How the mental health of these women is affected
The ways we can make sure this doesn’t keep happening--”This doesn’t have to be normal.”
How the impact of the negative birth experience bleeds over into breastfeeding
How the timelines followed in the birthing process don’t take into account the stress and trauma that are added to the process
What the report shows about the link between postpartum depression being linked to the birth experience, and not just to hormones
How those disadvantaged in race, class, and relationship status had toxic postpartum environments more frequently
The shame and judgment that black women feel in admitting postpartum depression, because they are supposed “to be strong”

Resources:

Professor Oparah: https://www.juliachinyereoparah.com/

Dr. Sayida: www.DrSayidaPeprah.com

To learn about Dr. Sayida’s non-profit click here: www.DiversityUplifts.org, To learn more about the Black community-based doula program and COVID19 doula initiatives Dr. Sayida is working on, click here: www.FrontlineDoulas.com

Please find out more by reading that Battling over Birth report at Find the report here: http://www.blackwomenbirthingjustice.org/battling-over-birth

Twitter @birthingjustice

Instagram @birthingjustice

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Black-Women-Birthing-Justice-216928328357571/posts/?ref=page_internal

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Show Highlights:

Black Women Birthing Justice: A collective of African-American Caribbean, and multi-racial women who are sharing about the negative experiences they’ve had in their maternal care and childbirth
How a negative birth experience can be turned around with a great midwife and doula team
How the actions that are being taken by medical providers are disempowering black women
How BWBJ began in 2011 with a Research Justice project, with over 100 women being open and honest about their stories
Battling Over Birth: a human rights report that unpacks the stories of those 100 women and how they found themselves in conflict with their medical providers
Before the sharing circles, some of the women had no idea of what they had missed out on in their birth experiences
The comparison with this topic and the sexual survivors of the Me Too movement, and how their birth experiences are re-triggering and re-traumatizing, with further victimization
How doctors use fear-based coercion to get the women to do what THEY want
The ramifications and implications for these women, along with the potential stress and trauma
The opportunity to change the narrative and “do it differently”
How to have empowerment in the birth experience, including how providers interact with you for physical exams during labor and birth
How the mental health of these women is affected
The ways we can make sure this doesn’t keep happening--”This doesn’t have to be normal.”
How the impact of the negative birth experience bleeds over into breastfeeding
How the timelines followed in the birthing process don’t take into account the stress and trauma that are added to the process
What the report shows about the link between postpartum depression being linked to the birth experience, and not just to hormones
How those disadvantaged in race, class, and relationship status had toxic postpartum environments more frequently
The shame and judgment that black women feel in admitting postpartum depression, because they are supposed “to be strong”

Resources:

Professor Oparah: https://www.juliachinyereoparah.com/

Dr. Sayida: www.DrSayidaPeprah.com

Please find out more by reading that Battling over Birth report at Find the report here: http://www.blackwomenbirthingjustice.org/battling-over-birth

Twitter @birthingjustice

Instagram @birthingjustice

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Black-Women-Birthing-Justice-216928328357571/posts/?ref=page_internal

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previous Episode

178: Linet's Story: Healing from PPD and PPA

Going through a postpartum mental health event can be a transformative experience. Many survivors feel inspired to change the course of their lives and careers and dedicate themselves to supporting and serving others. Such is the case of today’s guest, and her story is a fitting way to round out Maternal Mental Health Month. Join us!

Linet Madeja-Bravo is a working mom, wife, and the proud daughter of Filipino immigrants. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and is Mommy to two-year-old Isabella. Professionally, Linet has worked for local government for almost a decade and is most passionate about serving those in her community that are most marginalized and furthest from opportunity. Overwhelmed by the unexpected realities of being a new mom, breastfeeding issues, and other life events, Linet decided to seek professional help at eight weeks postpartum. Linet’s experience with postpartum depression and anxiety ignited a passion for helping other new moms and families. She is also passionate about decreasing cultural stigma and reducing barriers to mental health support and resources for those who need it most. Linet continues to work through her postpartum depression and anxiety with a specialized therapist and shares her story as a way of healing. She also hopes to one day become professionally trained to become a therapist or support person who specializes in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Show Highlights:

Linet’s story of always wanting to be a mom, getting pregnant soon after their marriage, and an easy pregnancy
How she experienced anxiety about the birth process, but then felt overwhelming joy at her daughter’s birth
As the difficulties began, Linet found that breastfeeding was the biggest contributor to her postpartum anxiety
Why it was hard for Linet to know who to listen to
At three days old, her daughter had to go to the hospital due to losing weight; she had to take formula and be treated for jaundice in the NICU
How the nurses didn’t explain the problems and treatments to Linet, and she found out later her baby had been weighed incorrectly
What Linet learned in the NICU stay: how to pump and how to wash bottles properly
How Linet realized that breastfeeding and sleep were her biggest issues, along with an unexpected surgery for her daughter’s tongue-tie issue
How LInet realized that everything she tried to control didn’t work out and made things worse
How Linet took her daughter to different feeding specialists and therapists, later realizing she was being obsessive
How Linet had random crying fits and felt guilty for her postpartum anxiety and suicidal thoughts
The breaking point at eight weeks postpartum, when Linet went to the hospital with abdominal pain that turned out to be diverticulitis
Why Linet saw a therapist to get help for the first time
The unseen pressure in immigrant cultures about mental health
How returning to Linet’s faith and her church community helped with her healing
The hardest things in Linet’s journey
Hopeful words from Linet: “You have everything you need to be a great parent. Your confidence in parenting will ebb and flow, and there will still be hard days. I’ve accepted that parenting is full of hard moments and new things. The most beautiful thing is that I’ve never felt such deep love, passion, and reward. Parents need to prioritize self-care and give themselves grace.”

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Next Episode

180: There's More to My Postpartum Story

My goal is for the show to be a mix of personal stories, expert interviews, information, and education. Even though my story isn’t usually at the forefront, I find that it’s powerful and meaningful to share my experiences, and that’s the focus of today’s episode. Join us!

You know me as Dr. Kat, but my full name is Katayune Kaeni. I’m a psychologist, wife, and mother to two lovely humans. I’m perinatal mental health certified, and my entry into the world of perinatal mental health began ten years ago with the birth of my first child, my daughter. I’m proud of my children, and I look at this podcast as another beautiful creation that I’ve birthed into the world. Just like the motherhood journey, my four-year podcast journey has been full of many mistakes and lots of learning; we’ve covered many topics, but there is so much more to learn! To date, Mom & Mind is heard in 69 countries, with over 356,000 downloads and a horde of social media followers. Welcome to Episode 180!

Show Highlights:

For everyone with a perinatal mental health issue, there is always a story behind the pain
Why and how my relationship with my body changed and began a different phase in my life
How I knew at age 12 that I wanted to be a mental health counselor, even though I already was dealing with anxiety and depression
In high school, a skiing accident left me with an ACL injury that required surgery, along with my first concussion
In college, risk factors kept building as PMS brought panic attacks and more depression; over the years I tried doctors, diuretics, birth control pills, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and energy healing
In grad school, family stressors brought more depression and anxiety, and I met and married my husband; a biking accident led to my second concussion that wasn’t treated properly
As I entered the world of employment, I suffered yet another concussion; other risk factors included anxiety, depression, being a highly sensitive person and a perfectionist, and then---my first pregnancy
Because pregnancy brought me relief from PMS and hormonal craziness, I actually felt wonderful--better than I had in many years
Ten years ago, in 2010, my daughter was born, and the problems began on Day 1
How I dealt with breastfeeding issues, poor sleep, and intense anxiety; the intrusive thoughts were overwhelming and embarrassing because of their sexual nature
Why I never even told my husband how I was feeling--even a year into our daughter’s life
As a psychologist, I didn’t want anyone to know that I was suffering, so I lied on a depression screen
How I finally decided to make changes, and I started with learning more about perinatal mental health and helping others
How getting past the shame, guilt, and embarrassment was a huge obstacle for me
How I started accepting clients into my private practice and continued to learn more and more
Today, I’m still triggered from time to time, but I can recognize the signs now better than before
With my second child, I had similar experiences, but the problems were less intense because I knew what was happening
How my PMS symptoms became worse and more difficult to manage after my two children were born
How I’m taking measures to manage my mental health
Why I want people to have a broader sense of perinatal mental health conditions
My goal for myself is to learn to live with it well and have more opportunity for healing
My healing isn’t complete, because life brings up things I have to deal with on a daily basis
My goal with the podcast is to normalize the fact that we all struggle, and make it OK to reach out and get help