How culturally relevant care can help you thrive during pregnancy, and beyond

Every pregnancy is different — individuals experience a wide range of symptoms and have unique priorities for their prenatal care, labor, birth, and postpartum care.  That’s why care that centers you and recognizes where you’re coming from is so important, both during pregnancy and even after your little one is born. 

Personalized care centers you

Personalized care is care that centers the patient’s wants and needs, whether you are working with an OB/GYN, midwife, mental health professional, doula, lactation consultant, or peer breastfeeding mentor. Your care provider should view you as a unique individual, listen to your wishes and concerns, ensure that you understand all of your care options, and empower you to feel in control of your body. And while your perfect birth experience isn’t always possible for safety reasons, a good provider will always communicate what’s happening, risks and benefits of different options, and do their best to meet as many of your wishes as possible while keeping you safe. 

Culturally relevant care recognizes where you’re coming from

It can be incredibly meaningful to seek out care that really recognizes where you’re coming from. Culturally relevant care can also play a huge role in ensuring that your experience of pregnancy and postpartum is what you want it to be, and that you’re given the opportunity to feel recognized and satisfied with your care. The culture that we come from defines so many aspects of our lives, including our understanding and experience of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. So finding support within your own cultural community can be empowering. This might mean working with a care provider who understands your religion, grew up in your community, or who shares your background. Care based on this sort of shared cultural understanding allows you to thrive, because at its core it means that your care provider truly understands where you’re coming from. 

This can be of particular importance for Black women and birthing folks, as birth inequities in the U.S. mean that Black women and families experience disproportionately worse maternal and infant health outcomes for a number of reasons — including limited access to care, dismissal of pain and other health concerns, and higher rates of underlying health conditions — racism and unconscious bias are huge factors in each of these areas. Working with a care provider who really sees you, understands you, and recognizes these challenges can be invaluable. 

In practice, this could mean that if you’re Black, you choose to work with a Black care team during pregnancy — an OB/GYN or midwife, or a doula. If you plan to breastfeed, it might mean that you seek out breastfeeding support within the Black community, like taking classes with a Black breastfeeding support group in your community before birth, attending breastfeeding support sessions with such a group postpartum, working with a Black lactation consultant, or meeting with a Black peer breastfeeding counselor. Many groups run by Black birth professionals are available to provide just this sort of support — from midwifery groups, to doula groups, to breastfeeding groups. 

If finding a Black provider isn’t an option, there are still many ways to move forward with confidence and increasing comfort. A culturally responsive provider can be of any race, and what matters most is whether you feel heard, respected, and safe in your care. You might consider asking potential providers about their experience caring for Black patients, how they work to reduce racism and bias in their practice, and how they incorporate a patient’s cultural background, preferences, and concerns into care decisions. It can also be helpful to review testimonials or seek recommendations from other Black patients when possible, pay attention to communication style during visits (for example, whether your questions are welcomed, your symptoms are taken seriously, and whether language feels respectful and free of assumptions or stereotypes), and notice whether the provider directly acknowledges health disparities that may affect your care. Trust your instincts. If you leave visits feeling dismissed, rushed, or judged, it may be worth exploring other provider options. 

You deserve it 

While you deserve to feel comfortable and safe with your provider (and these are non-negotiables), you won’t necessarily find that everyone supporting you throughout pregnancy and postpartum must be a perfect fit to have healthy outcomes and good experiences. Certainly, sometimes options are limited in terms of the sort of healthcare providers we can see or the additional support people we have access to. If, for example, you’re not entirely happy with your OB/GYN, but are limited in your provider options, then maybe you seek out a doula who can help support you throughout your pregnancy and postpartum journey and help you advocate for the best care for you. Small choices like this can make a big difference. You deserve to have care that fully supports you throughout birth and beyond. 

Reviewed by the Ovia Health by Labcorp Clinical Team

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Sources
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