TOMS RIVER, UNITED STATES
The Wider Image: Black mothers in the US speak of challenges and resilience
Holistic doula Ciara Clark, 34, and her husband Anthony Clark, a 38-year-old VIP associate for a sports betting company, prepare Evan, their crying newborn, to be weighed in Toms River, New Jersey, U.S., September 18, 2023. With her own Black doula and mother by her side, Clark had hoped to have her baby at home with no medical assistance at all. She wanted to have a "wild" pregnancy - one that is medically unassisted. After four cesarean sections with her previous pregnancies, Clark said she feared that her birth plan would not be supported by the medical staff. But after a long labor, Clark said she became anxious and decided to go to the hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy son. Clark is not alone in her distrust of medical intervention in the birthing process. Nine Black pregnant women and new mothers Reuters spoke to for this story voiced similar comments. All of the women spoke of feeling unseen and unheard at times through their pregnancy and postpartum period. REUTERS/Joy Malone SEARCH "MALONE MOTHERS DAY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
