Every mother deserves the opportunity to experience pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period with access to quality care and support. However, for many Black mothers, these experiences are shaped by the significant disparities in healthcare and mental health support. In the United States, 1 in 5 mothers are impacted by mental health conditions -- anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar illness, psychosis, and substance use disorders.1,2 Compared to white women, Black women are twice as likely to experience maternal mental health conditions but half as likely to receive treatment.3,4 Black Maternal Mental Health Week (BMMHW) serves as an important reminder that addressing these inequities is essential to improving the health and well-being of Black mothers and their families
Black women experience maternal mortality rates 2-3 times the rate of white women, with over 50% of postpartum depression cases in women of color going unreported.5,6,7 These disparities are influenced by a combination of factors, including social determinants of health (safe housing, discrimination, violence, access to nutritious foods, polluted air and water, etc.), systemic inequities, and barriers to healthcare access.8 Additionally, Black women experience physical “weathering,” where their bodies age faster than those of white women due to chronic stress linked to discrimination and socioeconomic inequalities.9 Weathering can lead to Black women experiencing more chronic health conditions, including diabetes and obesity, and can make pregnancy riskier for women at an earlier age.9 Current screening tools for maternal mental health conditions are not taking these additional factors that impact Black people into account.10
Mental health challenges during pregnancy and during the postpartum period are common, yet many mothers feel pressured to remain silent. Some Black women may feel pressure to hide their problems to avoid being seen as weak, which prevents many women from seeking help. Black Maternal Mental Health Week encourages open conversations and helps Black mothers and families understand that asking for help is an important first step. By sharing stories and having open conversations, safe spaces can be created where Black mothers feel heard and supported. Organizers of BMMHW, the Shades of Blue Project, ground their work in three principles: acknowledge, respect, and support.11 These principles highlight the importance of providing care that is inclusive and responsive to the needs of Black mothers.
When mothers thrive, families thrive, and communities thrive. Supporting Black maternal mental health benefits not only the parents but also their children, partners, caregivers, and communities. Black Maternal Mental Health Week raises awareness and challenges healthcare systems, policymakers, and organizations to work together to eliminate disparities, expand access to equitable maternal mental healthcare, and ensure every Black mother feels healthy and supported during their pregnancy and postpartum journeys.
To learn more about Black Maternal Mental Health Week, click here.
References
Fawcett, E., Fairbrother, N., Cox, M., White, I., & Fawcett, J. (2019, July 23). The prevalence of anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period: A multivariate Bayesian meta-analysis. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31347796/.
Postpartum Support International. 2023. https:// www.postpartum.net/learn-more/.
Taylor, J. and Gamble, C. (2017, November). Suffering in silence: Mood disorders among pregnant and postpartum women of color. American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/suffering-in-silence/.
Kozhimanill, K., Trinacty, C., Busch, A., Huskamp, H., Adams, A. (2011), Racial and ethnic disparities in postpartum depression care among low-income women. Psychiatric Services. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21632730/.
Hoyert, Donna L. (2023, March). Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2021. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:124678.
Sethi, S. (2020, April 21). Advancing racial equity in maternal mental health policy. Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/advancing-racial-equity-maternal-mental-health-policy/.
Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance. (2024, February 1). Black maternal mental health: The data, the barriers, and organizations to support. Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance: MMHLA. https://www.mmhla.org/articles/black-maternal-mental-health-the-data-the-barriers-and-organizations-to-support
Social Determinants of Health. Social Determinants of Health - Healthy People 2030. (n.d.). https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health.
Geronomius, A. The weathering hypothesis and the health of African-American women and infants: evidence and speculations. (1992). Ethnicity and Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1467758/.
Jackson, F., Hogue, C., & Phillips , M. (2015). The development of a race and gender-specific stress measure for African-American women: Jackson, Hogue, Phillips contextualized stress measure. Ethnicity & Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16259481/ .
Black MMH Week | Shades of Blue Project. (2025). Shades of Blue Project. https://www.shadesofblueproject.org/bmmhw