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According to the CDC, newborns in the U.S. are at higher risk of contracting early-onset group B strep (GBS) infection when their mother is black. This is also true, to a lesser extent, for mothers less than 20 years old. There are some confounding factors to consider: Blackness and young maternal age are also associated with “higher rates of GBS colonization, preterm birth, and socioeconomic disadvantage.” These factors are all interrelated, leading to an increased risk of GBS infection that falls along the lines of racial inequality. This is just one outcome of systemic issues that negatively affect the health of women of color (WOC) across the nation and beyond. 

There is a multitude of coverage over the profession of midwifery this month, and during the International Day of the Midwife (May 5, 2021). Midwives are critical caregivers during the birthing process, and we think deserve a blog of their own!  In this article, we cover the profession of Midwifery in detail.

In the U.S., black mothers are at a much higher risk of a pregnancy-related death than their white counterparts. Most of these deaths are preventable. Race and/or ethnicity does not make a difference in this preventability, which indicates that these deaths are a direct result of differences in access to and quality of care. The CDC notes that “a national study of five specific pregnancy complications found a similar prevalence of complications among black and white women, but a significantly higher case-fatality rate among black women.”

Midwifery is one of the oldest traditions for the human race. Here’s how midwives today compare to their modern counterpart, the OBGYN.