Most people are unaware that we have a childbirth crisis in our community. The United States is the only developed nation with a growing maternal mortality rate. Nearly one third of women give birth via major abdominal surgery. More than thirty percent of women report experiencing trauma while giving birth or report experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression. Too many of our babies don’t get to celebrate their first birthday, and unfortunately the black community experiences these poor outcomes in disproportionate numbers. The answers to many of these issues, and to eliminating perinatal disparities, lie within our community.

The Art of Birthing began as a way to engage the community in conversations about infant mortality. We have grown our efforts and now we use this as a time to engage the community in conversations about all things pregnancy including birth options, perinatal disparities, birth advocacy and most importantly solutions.