| Most pregnant women, particularly first timers, are usually nervous about giving birth, knowing this will be one of the most important and usually painful moments of their lives. But Black women in Britain have a legitimate reason to feel particularly anxious as research shows they are four times more likely to die giving birth compared with their white counterparts, according to a government report. Sadly, this isn't much of a surprise to anyone. Poor maternal outcomes for ethnic minority groups, who can sometimes display a higher number of pre-existing medical conditions or have a more challenged socio-economic background, have been known for decades. While overall the UK boasts one of the lowest maternal mortality rates globally, the disparity between Black and White is glaring. This report, written by the UK Women and Equalities Committee, digs deeper into these issues and some of the additional reasons why black mothers keep dying — like racism. One expert told the government panel that research showed Black women were less likely to receive individualized or culturally sensitive care. The women were often viewed by medical staff as "not like me" and microaggressions were expressed through racial stereotypes such as the idea that Black women have lower pain thresholds. Other examples include inaccuracies about women's backgrounds in medical records to the detriment of their care. The report comes ahead of Black Maternal Awareness Week in the UK starting April 24 set up by charity Five X More — when the group started in 2019 Black women were five times more likely to die in childbirth, so some progress is happening. Co-Founder Clotilde Abe is hopeful that this report will finally provoke real change faster. "This is a step in the right direction and I'm hoping that they will be moving a bit quicker than they have been moving previously," Abe said in an interview following the publication of the committee's report. "The government cannot back down from this now." The sentiment is global. In the US, Black Maternal Health Week was marked through April 17 and the US Department of Health and Human Services announced an extra $468 million in funding will be made available for maternal and child health. To really tackle the problem more data and research is needed. As is so often the case when it comes to women's health, and particularly maternal health, there is an information void. Charities like Five X More are trying to help fill the gap with research about the experiences of Black women after growing tired of hearing people say they couldn't find any to speak to or didn't know how to reach them. The UK's Maternity Disparities Taskforce met this week to discuss pre-pregnancy care and developing pre-pregnancy guidance. Let's hope some of the talk turns to action to protect the next generation of Black mothers. — Suzi Ring | 
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