Black Maternal Health

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• How to Stay Healthy During Pregnancy
• Prenatal Care

Also discover MyHeathfinder.gov to learn more about Pregnancy.

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Persons of color bear a disproportionate share of maternal deaths. This is due to a number of factors including a lack of inclusion and the historical injustices of BIPOC groups in medical research. The National Institutes of Health want to change that.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. NIH is made up of 27 Institutes and Centers, each with a specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems.

• Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) is the leading agency for women's health research. To learn about steps toward a healthy pregnancy, use its NIH Maternal Morbidity, and Mortality Web Portal 
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD)
• Office on Women’s Health (OWH) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 

Visit the Black Maternal Health Toolkit created by NNLM, the educational outreach division of the NIH National Library of Medicine, to discover resources, data sources, and health information. These carefully selected resources are to help patrons make informed choices about pregnancy care. 

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Maternal death rates are significant for Black women. 

A maternal death is defined by the World Health Organization as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes."

In 2020, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black (subsequently, Black) women was 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.9 times the rate for non-Hispanic White (subsequently, White) women. [NCHS Health E-Stats - February 2022].

In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black (subsequently, Black) women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.6 times the rate for non-Hispanic White (subsequently, White) women (26.6) [NCHS Health E-Stats. March 2023]

History Matters

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Raise Awareness

Advocacy, policy change, and addressing racism can all improve maternal health in BIPOC groups. How to start? 

Use the NNLM Birthing Persons Toolkit. It includes messages, hashtags, graphics, and handouts to support library staff with health information for birthing persons.

The National Partnership for Women & Families is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to change policy and culture. They spotlight the stories and raise a call-to-action in support of Black Maternal Health.

The mission of the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center (MHLIC) is to foster collaboration and learning among diverse stakeholders to accelerate evidence-informed interventions advancing equitable maternal health outcomes through engagement, innovation, and policy. 

The Black Women's Health Imperative is dedicated to promoting physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being for the nation’s 19.5 million African American women and girls.

Every Mother Counts works to achieve quality, respectful, and equitable maternity care for all by giving grants and working with partners and thought leaders to increase awareness and mobilize communities to take action. They also make content, tools, and resources accessible.