Stepping into my second pregnancy in June of 2024, mixed emotions of excitement, fatigue and hope in the world spread throughout my life. As a 31-year-old woman, I was mentally prepared to step into my second round of motherhood on my own in terms of seeing mothers that looked like me in my doctor’s waiting room and the hospital.
Born and raised in Spokane, I never saw pregnant Black women. I rarely saw Black mothers as it was and can say I never heard Black maternal stories, good or bad. I did not become aware of the struggle in maternal Black healthcare until 2022 when I was pregnant with our first son.I never knew what motherhood for a Black woman looked like until I stepped into the chapter for myself.
Having my first son in 2023, I entered motherhood with both a worry of raising a Black son, but also navigating Black motherhood.
Finding my footing everyday, I was able to get a peek into what I was missing from witnessing the Shades of Motherhood Network here in Spokane. With only 2.7% of the place I call home being African American, according to the government census, it was no wonder I never saw motherhood in a community that looks like me. However, SOMN allowed me more insight into what mothers like me can experience in healthcare, knowledge in supporting myself and my family, access to maternal help and more.
With the mission of the network being to, “create a world where Black mothers and families thrive, with equitable access to compassionate care, comprehensive support, and resources that empower healthy pregnancies, births, and postpartum experiences,” I have been able to breathe knowing if I needed it, my growing family and I had a strong local community advocate and ally to rely on.
The network not only provides doulas, lactation consultations, and support groups, but Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) also serves Black women and their families through nutrition counseling, infant CPR classes and more. Offering events on a weekly basis, SOMN creates a community that would not be built or maintained otherwise for Black women in Spokane. The network provides access to crucial services that women like me can access and lean on.
Now, as I move into having my second son, I am able to reference and empower other Black women like me who are becoming mothers or mothers already know their worth and know their resources such as SOMN.