How Motherhood And Wellness Build Community Amongst Black Women
Did you know African-American women are three times more likely to die during childbirth than any other race? A crippling statistic that plagues the Black community. Since having my first child in 2014, I have witnessed five of my peers either lose their life to childbirth or their infants pass within the first week of birth.
Having been raised with a unique upbringing, one could say I was destined to be an expert in motherhood. I am the daughter of two healthcare professionals—my dad is a retired OBGYN and my mom is a retired pediatric nurse. Growing up, I was immersed in an environment surrounded around the health of women and children; in turn, I developed an innate passion for wellness.
Seeing so many of my friends in motherhood struggle left me unsettled and I wanted to use the knowledge I’d acquired from my parents to become an advocate for African-American women. While pregnant with my first child I started a blog on Instagram documenting my pregnancy journey. Specifically, I wanted to connect with moms of color and show them ways to better educate themselves during pregnancy and how to advocate for themselves in the delivery room.
I discussed my prenatal journey and various holistic alternatives I would use while also utilizing my knowledge of medicine for doctor input. The goal was to empower more women of color to know what to ask for and identify triggers, to help prevent more maternal deaths.
Once I saw how many mothers were interested in this type of platform, I knew I couldn’t stop at just my experiences. I decided to explore motherhood on a deeper level so that I could share more perspectives to mothers of color t. I wanted to create an online community where support was accepted and products could be trusted. This birthed the name for my company: “My Mommy Wisdom”.
Today, I am the owner and curator of My Mommy Wisdom, a certified cruelty-free product line that caters to melanin women and children throughout the postpartum, prenatal, and infancy journey.
Most people have unique reasons why they started their business—mine was simple: relatability. I wanted to create a community of support, and provide products that could assist in making their journey into motherhood easier. I wanted to bridge the gap between medicine and holistic alternatives to give women and children the best outcomes with the safest results.
My Mommy Wisdom is a leader in the Black-owned baby goods industry. We are more than just a product-based brand, we are a village.
This post was written by Chelsea Lewis and originated on SCORE.
