Baby reaching hand to touch mother's face

Black mothers grieve the babies they lost—and help more survive their first year

In Cleveland, Black babies are six times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants. These initiatives are trying to change that.

Jessie Long, a Cleveland native, gave birth to a daughter named Elena in October under the guidance of doula Lindsey Lott. A new mother dealing with gestational hypertension, Jessie worried that her baby might be stillborn, which had happened to other women in her family and is more common among Black women.

Pregnancy was rocky for Cheryl and Sean Martin from their first, in 1996. Cheryl, 27, couldn’t keep food down. She was transported to the hospital on several occasions for vaginal bleeding. When she told her doctor she was worried, Cheryl said, he seemed to dismiss her concerns: “Nothing was really ever done until I went to the hospital and complained,” Cheryl recalls. “Then I was sent home—and the next thing you know I’m actually en route to the [hospital] and she was born early.”

The Cleveland couple’s daughter, Cydnee Janae Martin was born six weeks premature on May 29, 1997, and weighed just four pounds six ounces. She remained in neo-natal intensive care for about three weeks before being released. “When

DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.

Create your free account to continue reading

No credit card required. Unlimited access to free content.
Or get a Premium Subscription to access the best of Nat Geo - just $19
SUBSCRIBE

Read This Next

SeaWorld violated the Animal Welfare Act. Why is it still open?
'World’s worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought
World’s first ultrasounds of wild manta rays reveal a troubling truth

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet