Tianna Madison: Motherhood should not be synonymous with fear

Some women feel overwhelming joy when they find out they’re going to be mothers. Others feel nerves, maybe uncertainty and unconfidence. But many Black women in America feel a cold, unforgiving fear, because they know that their journey to motherhood will be harder than it would be for the average woman, completely because of systemic racism in the healthcare industry. This was the reality for track-and-field athlete and Olympic gold medalist Tianna Madison, whose first thought upon seeing the positive result of her pregnancy test was how difficult the pregnancy and childbirth session that lay ahead of her was going to be. 

Madison is a friend of Tori Bowie, an Olympic medalist and track-and-field runner who passed away due to complications during childbirth — a victim of the Black maternal mortality crisis. Bowie’s shocking death shed a much-needed light on the Black maternal mortality crisis, meaning that Madison was aware of its existence. Madison’s pregnancy was riddled with challenges, and her survival was the result of her own societal awareness and the fact that she knew about the Black maternal mortality crisis and that she was at higher risk of death and injury during pregnancy and childbirth. The tragic thing is, this should not be something that she, or any other woman for that matter, needs to worry about. Women should not need to be in panic mode throughout the entirety of their pregnancies. They should be relaxed, enjoying their lives, not in a state of constant fear.

Madison had experienced systemic racism in healthcare before. Two years before her pregnancy, Madison was anemic. The doctors insisted that extreme action was not necessary for months, until Madison fought and fought to get a transvaginal ultrasound and emergency surgery. The dismissal she faced for months is unacceptable. No patient should be treated like this.

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The challenges of Madison’s journey to motherhood began early. When she called to set the first medical appointment of her pregnancy, her OBGYN attempted to schedule her a C-section right then and there. The OBGYN did not ask for her input, or her permission. And the sole basis for her assumption that Madison needed a C-section? Madison’s age and race. Madison did, in fact, want a vaginal delivery. The fact that the OBGYN made the decision of how Madison was to give birth having never met her, having never asked what she was comfortable with, and having no information about her but her race and age is irresponsible, insensitive, and prejudicial. Never has the prominence of bias in healthcare been clearer than here.

One night, Madison was going through a contraction and noticed she was bleeding. However, she was not feeling pain. The only reason she decided to head to the hospital was because she knew that as a Black woman, this blood could be so much bigger than it seemed. This blood could bring on death. She was right to be concerned. She was in labor.

Over the course of four days in the hospital, Madison’s body weakened and her baby’s health declined. The two of them are alive today, but the obstacles they faced to get here are more than anyone should have to endure in their lifetime. The scorn and racism that Madison faced during her journey to being a mother is unacceptable. The healthcare system is fundamentally flawed for allowing the Black maternal mortality crisis to persist, and in order to protect the women of America who deserve access to safe, healthy pregnancies, things need to fundamentally change. The system needs to be uprooted. Cultural competence needs to be taught. There needs to be more African American representation in the healthcare industry. 

Share Tianna Madison’s story, as well as those of the other women who have struggled from the Black maternal mortality and the systemic racism that has caused it. Words turn into actions, and actions turn into change. Look at the resources linked in the How You Can Help page of this website and support these organizations seeking to create a safer nation for these women. Equality is a right. Let’s create a safer nation and a safer world, where no woman has to go through their pregnancy in fear.