Black mothers are too often asked to prove their pain twice: first as women whose concerns are minimised or labelled “anxiety”, and again as Black women whose symptoms, fears and instincts can be filtered through racial stereotypes. This is where racism and medical misogyny meet. It can mean delayed care, damaged trust and trauma that lasts well beyond an appointment.
1. Being heard should never be a privilege
When a mother says something feels wrong, she should be met with curiosity, care and action, not assumptions. Yet Black women tell us they have felt dismissed, rushed or made to question their own judgement at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. That can happen in pregnancy, during labour, after birth, at a GP appointment or while asking for mental health support.
No mother should have to become an expert in advocacy simply to access safe, compassionate care. Being listened to is a matter of dignity, safety and trust.
2. My lived experience gave this work its urgency
I came to this work through my own experience of motherhood, including postnatal depression, and through recognising how isolating it can feel when the support around you does not reflect or understand your reality.
What began as a WhatsApp group has grown into The Motherhood Group, supporting more than 18,000 Black mothers through peer support, research, advocacy, campaigns, training and digital support. As a mum of three, I know motherhood can hold joy and love alongside exhaustion, fear and uncertainty. Mothers deserve spaces where they feel seen, supported and heard.
3. Mothers’ stories are evidence, not anecdotes
Our Mums Advisory Board and Ambassadors are Black and mixed-heritage mothers who help shape research, campaigns, service conversations and training. They bring insight into how appointments, communication, assessment and care pathways feel in practice.
Mothers describe pain being normalised before it is investigated, not having enough time to ask questions, or leaving an appointment with less confidence in themselves than when they arrived. They talk about consent being assumed rather than checked, and postnatal appointments which focus on the baby while a mother’s physical or emotional recovery is missed.
During Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK, we make space for conversations about racism, consent, birth trauma, baby loss, identity and the pressure to cope. These are not isolated anecdotes. They are patterns that show where care is falling short.
4. Community insight must change what care looks like
Culturally responsive care does not mean making assumptions about a person because of their race, faith or background. It means asking, listening and responding to the individual in front of you. It means explaining options clearly, checking consent throughout care, and taking mental health seriously.
Mothers’ feedback shapes what we build. In our Mum Forward programme, women spoke about losing themselves after motherhood and trying to hold everything together while recovering. The programme combines therapeutic wellbeing, peer support, mentoring and practical sessions on rights, boundaries, rest and returning to work.
On Mumbrite, this can look like a mother joining a live conversation about birth trauma or maternal mental health, connecting with other mothers who understand the context, and being signposted to a trusted specialist or local programme. She should not have to start from scratch or explain why culturally relevant care matters before being supported.
Community insight is also taken directly into our Black Maternal Health and Cultural Competency Training for NHS teams. Statistics matter, but so does understanding how stereotypes, including the “strong Black woman” myth, can stop a mother’s pain or mental health needs being heard.
5. Listening must lead to accountability
We do not need another conversation that ends with Black mothers having to retell their trauma without anything changing. Our Black Maternal Mental Health Report brings together learning from 73 projects, while our Mums Advisory Board helps ensure mothers’ expertise reaches research, policy, training and partnership spaces. That is meaningful co-production: not consulting mothers once, but building with them.
Services should be able to show how they are listening, what they are learning and what they are doing differently. That includes clear routes for raising concerns, meaningful use of feedback, better data and leaders who take responsibility for improvement.
Every person involved in maternity and women’s health has a part to play. We can notice the mother: believe her, involve her and care for her whole life, not only the baby she has carried. Real progress begins when we stop expecting Black mothers to carry the burden of changing systems alone, and start building care with them.