Maternal Health Awareness Day was Friday, Jan. 23. The day has passed, but for many of us, the weight of it still lingers. When you work closely with mothers and families, maternal health is not something you think about once a year. It shows up every day in conversations, in questions, and in the quiet moments when someone just needs reassurance that what they are feeling is normal.
This year, that awareness feels especially heavy. The recent death of Dr. Janell Green Smith, a midwife and passionate advocate for Black maternal health, has stayed with me. Janell dedicated her life to protecting Black mothers and improving birth outcomes, and yet she was not spared from the very risks she worked to address. That reality is heartbreaking. It is also a reminder that these issues are not distant or abstract. They are current, real, and affecting people, even those who know the system inside and out.
In my work as a breastfeeding and maternal health advocate with Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA), I spend a lot of time with expectant and new mothers. Working in what many call the “maternal health crisis” can be tiring and difficult, but there is also so much joy in this work. One of my favorite moments happens during our BLISS education and breastfeeding demonstrations. Moms gather together, sometimes nervous, sometimes unsure, watching closely as we talk through positioning, latching, and what to expect in those first hours after birth. When mothers see each other succeed during our breastfeeding demos, there’s a ripple of encouragement: “Me next! I can do this too!” That shared experience builds confidence in a way no pamphlet ever could.
We talk a lot about the first hour after birth, often called the golden hour. Babies instinctively move toward the breast, and that early connection supports bonding, feeding, and a mother’s confidence. When families understand what is happening and why it matters, fear gives way to excitement. Those moments remind me how powerful education and community can be, especially when they are rooted in trust and shared experience.
Doulas and midwives are a big part of creating that trust. They are not there to replace clinical care, but to complement it. Our Doulas at Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA) support the whole person, not just the medical chart. They help mothers navigate physical recovery, emotional changes, breastfeeding challenges, and the many adjustments that come after birth. Too often, care focuses on vital signs and test results. What I see every day is that maternal health is also about feeling supported, understood, and not alone.
Medicaid covers about 40 percent of births in the United States, which means it has enormous potential to shape maternal health outcomes. Programs that include doula care are an important step forward, even as challenges remain around access, reimbursement, and integration into care teams. Through my involvement as a community partner in Project DREAM, I have seen how valuable it is to pair research with the lived experiences of mothers and doulas. Evidence matters, but so does listening to the people most affected by these systems.
As we move forward from Maternal Health Awareness Day, I hope we hold space for both honesty and hope. Janell Green Smith’s story is a painful reminder of how much work remains, but it also reinforces why this work cannot stop. Mothers deserve care that supports their bodies, their minds, and their confidence as they bring new life into the world.
Despite the challenges, I continue this work because I see what is possible when mothers are surrounded by knowledge, encouragement, and community. There is joy in watching confidence grow. There is power in shared learning. And there is real opportunity to build a maternal health system that truly cares for mothers, not just during birth, but long after.