LOCAL FEATURE MAMA BIRD BY CAT EVANS OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, the maternity mortality rate in the U.S. has become higher than at any other time since 2000, according to CDC data. The maternal mortality rate is considered a “key indicator of the state of women’s health,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services.” The U.S. ranks poorly compared to other developed nations, ranking 46th among 181 countries” (usafacts.org). A highly relevant topic that is rarely talked about — especially in predominantly white populations — is how Black women experience maternal mortality at a rate that is two to three times higher than white women (CDC.org). There is a major lack of Black representation in medical spaces and little assistance or information provided for Black women to access maternal care needed, specifically, from women who they can directly identify with — other Black women. Birdie, who is the owner of Mama Bird Maternity Wellness Spa, has made it her mission to ”create resources that would support families of color,“ focusing on health and wellness along with self-care routines. According to Birdie, there are various reasons why there is a lack of support for Black women during pregnancy from other Black women. “We don’t know that we are out there. Everyone who has come to me has told me they have been looking,” Birdie explained. “There is only one midwife of color in the Denver and Aurora areas. A lot of women don’t even know what a doula is, or that they can become a midwife, without having to become a doctor,” Birdie said. Of 49 registered Certified Practitioner Midwives (CPM) in Colorado, only three of them are women of color. After graduating from massage therapy school in 2010, Birdie discovered a newfound passion for working with pregnant women. Shortly after, she began her doula certification. Birdie is now a full spectrum birth and postpartum doula. A doula is defined as a woman employed to provide guidance and support to a pregnant woman during and after labor (Oxford Languages). A midwife assists in childbirth. Birdie differentiates a doula as focusing on the waist up (emotional, spiritual, physical), while a midwife focuses on everything from the waist down. The two work together to assist in a smooth, healthy pregnancy. At the Wellness Spa Birdie, does all she can to have women of color educating other women of color, providing the CREDIT: CAT EVANS CREDIT: CAT EVANS 10 DENVER VOICE June 2022
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