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Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute®

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Founded by BMMA, Inc., the Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute #BMHC26 is the official, global assembly for maternal health equity!

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One thing we don’t talk about enough when it comes to the aftermath of dealing with medical racism while bringing life into the world, is our mental health. There are many aspects within the Black Maternal Health Crisis to consider.

I was treated so terribly because of the color of my skin, which resulted in me hating myself and feeling overall terrible. I also didn’t trust a soul within the healthcare system, shrug resulted in me never going back to the doctor for my own postpartum appointments.

I dealt with postpartum depression, anxiety, rage, AND psychosis. All I endured has definitely played a part in my mental health postpartum, which is a shame.

So, I’m here to remind you that the Black Maternal Health Crisis is NOT a myth, and real people represent the numbers you see in those statistics.

⚠️⚠️I am here to advocate for Black women, not groups whom already have a great representation of advocacy.

#blackmoms #maternalhealth #prenatalcare #momsofinstagram #trauma Black Maternal Health | Motherhood | Black Motherhood

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September, you were FULL. 🤎

I had the joy of beginning my second year of grad school and attending the Black Mama’s Matter 2026 Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute in Atlanta, GA. There I participated in From Preconception Through the Fourth Trimester: A Skills-Based Training to Improve Black Maternal Health Outcomes, a day-long training led by amazing Black women across health and wellness fields.

It was one of those experiences I know I’ll carry with me for a long time. The stories, the lessons, the conversations.

I also got to share my Ancestral Plates for Modern Births framework during a Food as Medicine lightning talk. Being able to talk about food, ancestry, and birth while sharing space with fellow birth workers felt really special.

And then, right as we transitioned from September into October, Baby Ford was born. 🤎

There really aren’t words for what it feels like to be welcomed into such an intimate moment in someone’s life. To be there, to witness, and to support a family is something I don’t take lightly.

I’m still taking it all in.

I love my work. I’m grateful for the people who trust me with their stories, their questions, and their births.

Welcome earthside, baby Jamir🤎

What a beautiful way to start another month of this work.

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Thank you so much to @munilong for this wonderful birthday shout-out, which we were excited to air a few weeks back at our Black Maternal Health Conference and Training Institute® (#BMHC26).

Muni Long has been a vocal supporter of BMMA and the importance of Black maternal health equity, and we’re grateful that she’s using her platform to amplify these important issues. This is an example of how artists and creators can advocate for better maternal and perinatal health outcomes for Black mamas and babies while using their platforms.

Over the past decade, BMMA and our network of partners established Black Maternal Health in the public consciousness and carried forward work that Black and African birth workers have been doing for generations. We are deepening that work as we approach the 10th anniversary of our Black Maternal Health Week campaign in April 2027.

#BlackMaternalHealth #BlackMamasMatter #BMMA10Years

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Okay, you saw the recap. Now let me take you inside the room.

Last time I shared #BMHC26 @bmhconference. I talked about the moment the room literally gasped during my presentation.

This time, I wanted you to hear a little more of what I was actually up there talking about.

I went into this research with a very specific question about endometriosis, preeclampsia and Black women. I came out of it asking much bigger ones.

Who gets studied? What questions has medicine decided are worth answering? And what happens when clinicians go looking for evidence that simply isn’t there yet?

Those questions have followed me far beyond this research.

Which makes the timing of this video kind of perfect, because this week I also launched Missed & Dismissed.

Different platform. Bigger conversation.

Because whether I’m behind a podium, at the bedside, digging through research or now behind a mic, I keep coming back to the same thing:

What are we missing? And what are we going to do differently once we see it?

Anyway…here’s a little more of what happened before the room gasped.

#BMHC26 #MissedAndDismissed #BlackMaternalHealth #Endometriosis

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We took Cincinnati mamas’ voices to the Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute! 🤎

Last week, Mama Certified team members Dorian, Josselyn , and Lucia shared how Black mamas and hospital leaders are working side by side through Queens Village Hospital Advisory Boards (QVHABs) to improve birth care.

And it all starts with you. More than 500 mamas have shared their birth stories with us, helping shape real changes at local hospitals.

Now, we want to hear from you, mama. What helped you feel heard during your birth experience? What do you wish had been different?

Every story helps us better understand what care should look and feel like for Black mamas and babies.

✨ Share your story at the link in bio or visit MAMACERTIFIED.ORG/FEEDBACK

#MamaCertified #BHMC26 #MyMamaCertifiedBirth #BlackMaternalHealth #QueensVillage

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BMHC26 was everything we imagined, and then some! 💜

From the Training Institute to Black Mama Movie Night, mainstage moments to breakout sessions, exhibitors and merchants to two full days of connection, all the way to the Awards Dinner, this conference was a true reflection of our community and this movement.

Thank you to every single person who stepped foot into that space, our attendees, speakers, presenters, exhibitors, and everyone who showed up and showed out for Black maternal health.

We are endlessly grateful for our sponsors, including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (@rwjfoundation), our Presenting Sponsor, and every organization that invested in making this year’s conference possible.

This is only a glimpse, with more captured moments coming soon. 📸

#BMHC26 #BlackMaternalHealth #BlackMamasMatter #BlackMaternalHealthConference

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We’re proud to collaborate with the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and to have attended this year's Black Maternal Health Conference.

Last weekend in Atlanta was a powerful reminder of the many dimensions of health, wellness, advocacy and community care.

We’re grateful to BMHC26 for creating a space where maternal health can be explored through both justice and joy.

We pulled together three takeaways that stayed with us.

Which one resonates with you most? 🧠

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#BMHC26 #BlackMamasMatter #MaternalHealth #Perimenopause #BirthJustice

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There are the things that make it into the notes app.

The quotes you write down.
The sessions that shift your thinking.
The things you immediately know you are bringing back home.
And then there are the things the camera roll remembers.

The laughter.
The hugs.
The hallway conversations.
The people you finally meet in person.
The “wait, say that again” moments.
The outfit changes.
The joy in being around people who already understand why the work matters.
Black maternal health work carries a lot.

Grief. Urgency. Anger. Loss. Advocacy. Accountability.
And it should.
But if we are building toward liberation, joy cannot only be something we promise at the end.

Joy has to exist in the building, too.
Atlanta gave me a lot to think about.
It also gave me community, affirmation, new connections, good memories, and a reminder that the work can be serious without every moment feeling heavy.

Justice and joy.

Both.

#BlackMaternalHealth #BMHC2026 #HealthEquity #BlackMamasMatter #DrKsHealthMinute

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it was my first @bmhconference but it won’t be my last 🥹 @blackmamasmatter, thank you for an amazing first-time experience! to have been surrounded by women as passionate as I am about Black maternal health had me super emotional by the end of day 2. I’m grateful for the information I’ve learned, the tools I’ve walked away with, and the connections I’ve made. see y’all in 2028! 💜
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#bmhc26 #blackmamasmatter #blackmamasmatteralliance #atlanta #blackdoulas

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Supporting women, health, the environment, and our community at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Conference and Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. #alc55 #chci

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I walked into the Black Maternal Health Conference wondering if I truly belonged in the room… and I left knowing this is my lane 🙂‍↕️

The Black Maternal Health Alliance created more than a conference, it created space for connection, conversation, learning, and for women like me to recognize the power in our own stories.

I may not have every step of my plan figured out yet, but this weekend reminded me that my lived experience has purpose. As a mother, an advocate, and a woman continuing her education, I don’t have to have all the answers to begin making a difference.

Sometimes God doesn’t give you the entire blueprint, but God just keeps placing you in rooms that confirm the direction. And this room reminded me that I belong here. That my voice matters. And that everything I’ve experienced can become part of something much bigger than me.

I came in questioning whether I fit.
I’m leaving ready to step into my full potential 🥹🙌🏽

The plan may not be completely clear yet, but the purpose is becoming clearer every day. This is my lane 🧱🔨

#bmma
#bmhc
#blackmothersmatter
#storytelling
#purpose

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Sometimes you don’t realize how loud a research gap is until an entire room gasps.

I was presenting my research at @bmhconference when I got to the finding I’ve probably said a hundred times by now: nine databases searched, 370 records identified, and zero U.S. studies met our criteria to answer our specific question about endometriosis and preeclampsia in Black women.

The room literally gasped.

And I mean literally. I could hear it.

I’ve presented this research before, but something about hearing that reaction in a room filled with people who spend their lives working to improve Black maternal health hit differently. Because zero isn’t just a finding on a slide. It’s a reminder of who can still be missing from the evidence.

That feeling followed me throughout the rest of the conference.

One of the messages from Angela Doyinsola Aina, MPH, Co-Founder and Executive Director of @blackmamasmatter , that stayed with me was the way Black mothers are so often seen through struggle — maternal mortality, illness, inequity, hardship, instead of the fullness of who we are.

Meanwhile, I was standing in a conference full of Black women and allies researching, building, advocating, creating, caring for patients, changing policy, supporting births, challenging systems and doing some incredible work to change that story.

THAT was the vibe of #BMHC26.

Yes, we talked about the disparities. We told the truth about what Black women are experiencing in healthcare. We talked about the mothers we’ve lost and the systems that still need to change.
But there was also joy. Community. Brilliance. Solutions. Black women taking up space and reminding each other that we belong in every room where decisions about our bodies, our health and our futures are being made.

Black lives matter. Black mamas matter.

And one thing Atlanta reminded me of? As Black women, we have to keep taking up space — in healthcare, in research, in leadership, in every room we’ve earned the right to be in.

I came to Atlanta to present my research.
I left even more certain about why I’m doing it.

#BMHC26 #BlackMamasMatter

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