Black maternal-health guide

Black maternal health & birth advocacy

Medical review & sources

You deserve to know where information comes from — and whether a qualified clinician has reviewed it.

Not yet independently medically reviewed

No medical reviewer has been appointed for these three guides. There is no completed review, reviewer credential record, or medical approval to display. The guides are educational and not a substitute for medical advice.

Public sources and journal authors are not Bloom reviewers. The clinician photographs are illustrative generated images, not portraits of a reviewer or evidence of endorsement.

The three guides covered

Illustrative image of a pregnant Black woman and her support person having a calm conversation with a clinician.

Not medically reviewed

Black Maternal Health

Maternal and infant mortality measures, warning signs, reported care experiences, and advocacy resources.

Reviewer:
Not appointed
Medical review date:
None
Citations:
11 linked sources
Read this guide
Illustrative image of a pregnant Black mother with a notebook and support person speaking with a listening Black maternity clinician.

Not medically reviewed

Birth Advocacy for Black Mothers

Respectful-care questions, consent discussions, symptom reassessment, and discharge planning.

Reviewer:
Not appointed
Medical review date:
None
Citations:
6 linked sources
Read this guide
Illustrative image of Black parents holding their baby at a calm pediatric consultation with a Black clinician.

Not medically reviewed

Infant Health for Black Families

Infant mortality measures, newborn follow-up, feeding support, safer sleep, and urgent concerns.

Reviewer:
Not appointed
Medical review date:
None
Citations:
4 linked sources
Read this guide

What a real review will require

Before any guide is labeled medically reviewed, Bloom will need a completed assessment by an appropriately qualified clinician, permission to identify them, and publicly verifiable credentials. Obstetric content and newborn content need relevant expertise; one specialty does not automatically cover both.

  • The reviewer’s full name, professional qualifications, relevant specialty, and a public licensing or professional-register verification link.
  • The exact guides and version reviewed, review date, scope of assessment, and any required corrections.
  • Relevant affiliations, compensation or conflicts of interest, and permission to publish the review record.

These are requirements for a future review, not a claim that a clinician has agreed to review or approved this content.

Citations & evidence context

These are the sources cited in the guides, grouped into one reading list. Population reports, patient-experience research, public guidance, and community resources serve different purposes. A citation is not medical approval of Bloom’s interpretation.

  1. CDC/NCHS — Maternal mortality rates, 2024 (March 2026) (opens in a new tab)

    Hoyert DL. Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024. NCHS Health E-Stat 113. March 2026.

    DOI: 10.15620/cdc/174651 (opens in a new tab)

    Population data · National rates describe groups, not an individual's risk. Maternal and infant measures use different definitions and denominators.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health

  2. CDC/NCHS — Infant mortality, final 2024 linked data (June 2026; PDF) (opens in a new tab)

    Ely DM, Driscoll AK. Infant Mortality in the United States, 2024: Data From the Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2026;75(3). June 16, 2026.

    DOI: 10.15620/cdc/252441 (opens in a new tab)

    Population data · National rates describe groups, not an individual's risk. Maternal and infant measures use different definitions and denominators.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health · Infant Health for Black Families

  3. CDC Hear Her — Urgent maternal warning signs (opens in a new tab)

    Public health and pediatric guidance · General education must be applied with your own care team; citing guidance is not independent medical review.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health · Birth Advocacy for Black Mothers · Infant Health for Black Families

  4. Vedam et al. — Giving Voice to Mothers, Reproductive Health (2019) (opens in a new tab)

    Vedam S, Stoll K, Taiwo TK, et al. The Giving Voice to Mothers study: inequity and mistreatment during pregnancy and childbirth in the United States. Reproductive Health. 2019;16:77. June 11, 2019.

    DOI: 10.1186/s12978-019-0729-2 (opens in a new tab)

    Patient-experience research · Survey samples and self-reported experiences have limitations; they do not diagnose symptoms or establish causation in an individual case.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health · Birth Advocacy for Black Mothers

  5. CDC MMWR — Maternity-care experiences, mistreatment and discrimination (2023) (opens in a new tab)

    Mohamoud YA, Cassidy E, Fuchs E, et al. Vital Signs: Maternity Care Experiences — United States, April 2023. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. September 1, 2023;72(35).

    Patient-experience research · Survey samples and self-reported experiences have limitations; they do not diagnose symptoms or establish causation in an individual case.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health · Birth Advocacy for Black Mothers

  6. NAACP — In Support of Black Maternal Health and Birth Equity (opens in a new tab)

    Community and policy resource · Advocacy context, not a primary source for mortality rates or an emergency service.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health

  7. Black Mamas Matter Alliance — Community-led maternal-health advocacy (opens in a new tab)

    Community and policy resource · Advocacy context, not a primary source for mortality rates or an emergency service.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health · Birth Advocacy for Black Mothers · Infant Health for Black Families

  8. HRSA — National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (opens in a new tab)

    Support resource · Mental-health support, not emergency assessment or suicidal-crisis care.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health · Birth Advocacy for Black Mothers

  9. CDC Hear Her — Personal stories of pregnancy-related complications (opens in a new tab)

    Lived experience · First-person accounts offer context and solidarity, not clinical evidence or individual treatment advice.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health

  10. CDC Hear Her — Resources for American Indian and Alaska Native communities (opens in a new tab)

    Public health and pediatric guidance · General education must be applied with your own care team; citing guidance is not independent medical review.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health

  11. CDC Hear Her — Conversation guides, posters and handouts (opens in a new tab)

    Public health and pediatric guidance · General education must be applied with your own care team; citing guidance is not independent medical review.

    Cited in: Black Maternal Health · Birth Advocacy for Black Mothers

  12. American Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren — A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep (opens in a new tab)

    Moon RY. How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained. HealthyChildren.org, American Academy of Pediatrics. The live page may use an updated title under the guide’s existing URL.

    Public health and pediatric guidance · General education must be applied with your own care team; citing guidance is not independent medical review.

    Cited in: Infant Health for Black Families