I’m so happy to share that Borne’s first print zine, Birthing While Black: A Hospital Guide, is now available.
The creation of this zine has been a labor of love — inspired first by my own hospital birth experience and those of my close circle, and then shaped over years of supporting mothers as a doula and birth assistant, informed by other birth workers doing this work every day.
Over time, I kept seeing the same patterns play out:
A mother enters the hospital system — by choice or by circumstance — and things begin to move quickly. She and her partner (and sometimes extended family) aren’t fully aligned. Her vision for her birth starts to slip. Language gets introduced that no one fully understands. Decisions get made. And suddenly, things are just… happening.
Before we know it, she enters into motherhood in a wave of confusion — and in too many cases, coercion, trauma or shame.
And I hate to say it, but that’s if she enters at all.
We continue to see high-profile stories about women being mistreated during labor, birth and postpartum — some of the most vulnerable moments of our lives.
Dr. Janell Green Smith. Temecia Jackson. Adriana Smith. Mercedes Wells. Karrie Jones. Cherise Doyley.
These are not just headlines. These are real people. Real families. Members of our communities.
I think about what their healing journeys must look like. About the ripple effects of this type of trauma. And it sickens me.
Because it doesn’t have to be this way.
I don’t believe one zine can fix an entire system.
But I do believe this: as we work toward systemic change — alternatives, access, policy — families still need tools they can use right now.
Because you can know your rights.
You can even understand what’s happening.
But being supported in exercising those rights — in real time, in that room — is what actually changes your experience.
Agency without support is fragile. This zine is designed to reinforce both.
Inside Birthing While Black: A Hospital Guide, you’ll find:
How to plan for a birth experience that centers you, your family and your values
A clear overview of how hospital labor unfolds, from triage through postpartum
Explanations of common interventions and how to evaluate your options
The difference between hospital policy and medical necessity
Grounded language for communicating with providers, before during and after labor
Guidance on building a birth team aligned with your values
What to expect if plans change, including cesarean birth
This is not about controlling every outcome — that’s impossible, no matter where or how you birth. It’s about walking into that room informed, supported and with a sense of agency.
This shouldn’t fall solely on the shoulders of mothers, nor is it something that can be outsourced to midwives or doulas to “fix.”
We all have a role to play — partners, families, communities — in how birth is experienced and supported.
This requires a cultural shift around birth, not just a change in venue. This zine is the first of many offerings designed to support that shift. Thank you for being here and playing your part in improving outcomes for our families.
Get a copy of Birthing While Black: A Hospital Guide for yourself or someone you love.
Much gratitude to our partners — the BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center, Tre Borden /Co and the James Irvine Foundation — for helping bring this zine to life in print and into the hands of families across this country.
