“They Don’t Respect Black Women”: Narrating a Young Black Woman’s Harrowing Birthing Experience

Black women tend to feel underserved due to the lack of culturally competent care and support from healthcare systems. In particular, the combination effects of racial discrimination, inadequate prenatal care, and pregnancy complications contribute to the increased risks of stress and trauma among Black pregnant women. Though the literature has documented the challenges that Black women face in the healthcare system, in-depth narratives of birthing experiences may provide a better understanding of these issues. In this paper, we used a qualitative approach to describe the case study of a 30-year-old Black American woman who had a harrowing birthing experience. We conducted an individual interview with the participant upon her request. Six key themes were derived from her narrative that summarized her birthing experience: healthcare provider miscommunication, lack of control, trauma experience, interpersonal racism, systemic racism, and internalized racism. The participant had a birthing experience that she felt "could not go untold." The discomfort and disrespect she experienced appear not to be uncommon in a considerable number of Black women of reproductive age. There is a need for healthcare providers to be trained to provide culturally appropriate care to Black women. In addition, healthcare providers need to treat Black women absent of prior stereotypes or biases to contribute to more effective care. Employing such treatment may improve Black women's reproductive health-seeking behavior as well as maternal and child health.