Hear Our Stories
Every story is data. Every voice drives change. Share yours and help build a maternal health system that finally listens to Black and brown families.
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I, Too, Had Postpartum Psychosis. What If Lindsay Clancy Were Black?
I had postpartum psychosis. I have never shared that publicly in this way before. In this personal essay, I’m ask why compassion, context and protection are extended so differently to Black mothers in crisis.
Meet a Doula: Charline Ogbeni
Charline Ogbeni, Owner of Supporting Our Mothers Initiative, LLC Charline Ogbeni is a School Counselor, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, and Full Spectrum Doula. She is the owner of Supporting Our Mothers Initiative, LLC based in Queens, NY. Supporting Our Mothers Initiative, LLC addresses the needs of birthing and breastfeeding individuals
My Breastfeeding Story: Irth’s Founder, Kimberly Seals Allers
I am driving—correction: speeding—down the Grand Central Parkway in Queens, New York, wearing only a black T-shirt and some brightly colored pajama pants tucked into my Uggs. There’s a screaming baby in the back seat. Don’t worry, she’s mine. Thirteen miles at an unmentionable speed later, I arrive at Long Island Jewish Hospital, where, about
Celebrity Birth Stories: Lela Rochon
“My pregnancy story does not begin as one of those happy-go-lucky stories. I want to tell it honestly. Five months into my first pregnancy, my water broke while at work. It was 4 pm. I had to deliver a little boy, but he was too young to survive. It never occurred to me that something
Celebrity Birth Stories: Nicole Ari Parker
“Boris and I wanted to have a family, but both had just come out of a relationship and we weren’t rushing down the aisle. We tried for over a year to get pregnant and it didn’t happen. When we were in Germany visiting Boris’s family, he proposed, and then we went to Paris, and everything
Celebrity Birth Stories: Lorna Kyle, Cedric the Entertainer’s Wife
Lorna Kyle, the wife of funny-man and movie star, Cedric the Entertainer, is not the typical L.A. celebrity wife. Don’t get me wrong, she’s got her Hollywood indulgences, but she’s extremely down-to-earth. After a missed time pregnancy, two C-sections, and one ovarian cyst operation, this self-proclaimed anti-stretch mark product junkie has had it. Lorna Kyle’s
Pumping Ain’t Easy
There have been several innovations in the world of breastmilk pumping within the past decade. New design ideas ranged from changing the pump from a vacuum to a more comfortable compression model and integrating massaging technology from the sex-toy industry to a hands-free prototype. Others attempted to hack the experience of breastfeeding, with one group
Oops –The Reality of Unintended Pregnancies
According to the National Survey of family growth, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States (excluding miscarriages) and 31% of all pregnancies resulting in live births are unintended. If you are struggling to accept an unplanned pregnancy, the greatest comfort may just be knowing that you are not alone. 28% of women have had
Pregnancy After A Loss
There are few events as painful as losing a baby. All of the exciting feelings and happy expectations about pregnancy come to a screeching halt, and instead of celebrating a life, you are grieving over a death. When most people think of pregnancy loss, the first thought is of miscarriage. But miscarriage is only one
Pregnancy After Abortion
There are a number of studies on how abortion affects a woman’s later pregnancy experiences, and the results show that a great many women experience painful, unresolved issues or post-abortion grief during pregnancy. Did you know that 44% of all American women will have an abortion at some point during their lifetime? More than a
The History of Black Women & Breastfeeding
While all women suffer under the weight of the complexities of breastfeeding, some are more overburdened than others, usually because of racial and socioeconomic factors. For over forty years, rates of breastfeeding among African-American women have significantly lagged those of non-Hispanic white women. When it comes to the gold standard of infant nutrition, twelve months
The Darker Side of Pregnancy: Postpartum Depression
Despite all of the radiant glowing and happiness that society associates with pregnancy, for many women this is not the case at all. The glossy pregnancy magazines and all the smiling, content faces, filled with euphoric expectation and joy, do not represent everyone’s pregnancy experience. Instead of feelings of happiness, many women feel confusion, fear,
The reminder every mom needs. 👏🏾
At our last Power Moms Brunch in Minnesota, our guest speaker @naturi4real shared this big lesson: your support system works best when you actually let it support you.
A powerful reminder to release the pressure to do everything alone, communicate what you need, and make room for support—whether that’s help with your kids, your career, or simply time to breathe.
This is us. This is IRTH.
Send this to a mom who needs the reminder. 🤎
And if you`re looking for a community of like-minded mamas, we got you.
Join the IRTH Digital Village.
Free and accessible for you. Link in bio.
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#PowerMoms #BlackMotherHood #MotherHoodJourney #MotherhoodUnfiltered #MomSupport
We deserve 5-star care.
And that means so much more than leaving the hospital with a healthy baby. It means our mamas and birthing people have healthy experiences, too.
What does that look like? That we’re listened to and honored throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond.
That we’re treated with dignity, our questions are answered and we feel safe with the people caring for us.
For Black and brown families, there’s a deep history behind why we have to say this out loud.
We’ve heard the stories, seen the statistics, and many of us have even become the statistics.
But our experiences shouldn’t only matter when something goes wrong.
A healthy baby shouldn’t be the only measure of a “successful” birth if the person who gave birth walked away traumatized, dismissed or poorly treated.
Yes, we`re resilient, but resilience should never have to be the standard.
Five-star care should be.
And there’s so much we can learn from each other about what that care actually looks like.
From the parents telling us what happened in hospitals, doctors’ offices and birthing spaces across the country.
The moments when someone didn’t listen and the ones where they truly did.
The places our community would return to and the places they wouldn’t.
Having that knowledge is a GAME CHANGER and that’s the power of Irth.
When we share our experiences, we help each other see where five-star care is happening and where our community deserves better.
Join us in making five-star care the standard.
If you’ve received prenatal, birthing, postpartum or pediatric care, rate + review your experience in the Irth app.
Or right on our website. We`re serious.
reviews.irthapp.com (Link in bio.)
Your story could help the next family make more informed decisions about theirs. 📲🤎
If you support this message, drop five stars in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Motherhood can feel like a lot of things at once: beautiful, exhausting, ambitious, isolating, joyful, overwhelming.
Last September 27, Power Moms on Lake Minnetonka brought mothers together for an afternoon centered on the realities of motherhood — from building a career while raising a family to finding trusted birth support and navigating the ways media and policy shape our experiences.
We heard from powerful voices including @naturi_naughton, Kimberly Seals Allers and an incredible group of mothers, advocates, birth workers & leaders.
Thank you to every mama who showed up, shared, connected, and helped make Power Moms what it was.
We’ll see you at our next events!
Log in the IRTH app and stay tuned.
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#PowerMoms #PowerMomsBrunch #BlackWomenMatter #BlackMama #MaternalWellness
What we learned from patient stories.
We just brought Irth’s hospital program data to Atlanta, sharing what Black patients have told us through their reviews with local health providers.
These conversations matter because the people experiencing care every day often see things that systems can’t see from the inside.
That’s what we want to keep building with hospitals across the country.
Patient voices. Community insight. Meaningful improvement.
Want to understand the Black patient experience in your community? 📩
Learn more about partnering with IRTH through our Hospital Improvement Program.
Link in bio.
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#PatientCare #HealthProfessionals #AtlantaCity #HealthJustice #BirthEquity
Breastfeeding doesn`t have to hurt. ⬇️
There can be so much pressure to make breastfeeding look effortless. Finding what works for you and your baby can take time, patience, and a little experimentation.
But the truth is, there is no universal “right way.”
👍🏽Save these breastfeeding positions from our lactation experts and ask your questions in the comments!
Follow Irth for more practical resources and support for Black and brown families.
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#BreastfeedingMama #BreastfeedingTips #BreastfeedingAwareness #BreastfeedingEducation #BlackMothers
A yacht full of inspiringing Black women with expertise across maternal health, motherhood, media, policy, careers, and community change?
Yes, we did that.
Irth`s Power Moms Brunch was one for the books, and we`re excited to share some of the magic that happened on this weekend.
From the cruise brunch to the panels, community connections, and all the candid moments in between, Power Moms was the perfect Sunday designed to make Black mothers feel seen, supported and celebrated.
Scroll through for a few of our favorite moments, and make sure to follow up for more events like this one!
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#PowerMoms #Blackmothers #Blackmotherhood #Sundaybrunch #MaternalHealth
Birthworkers, this one’s for you 📅
You give so much to protect and support growing families - now it’s time to refill your cup.
Join Irth & the National Black Doula Association for a Birthworker Appreciation Wellness Pop-Up!
Enjoy guided wellness activities, connection with community, & doulas who supported a birth at Brookdale will get the chance to win a $400 spa raffle.
📍 Rest, reset, and recharge with us.
Link in bio to RSVP
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#birthworkersofcolor #blackbirthworkers #wellnessevent #newyorkevents #brooklynevents
The voices joining us for Power Moms Brunch
We’re bringing together Black women with expertise across maternal health, motherhood, media, policy, careers, and community change for conversations designed to leave you feeling seen, informed, inspired, and empowered.
✨ Naturi Naughton-Lewis — Actress, singer, proud mother of two, and award-winning star of Power, bringing her perspective on motherhood, career, and the value of trusted support.
✨ Kimberly Seals Allers — Founder of Irth, CEO of Narrative Nation, award-winning journalist, and five-time author whose work sits at the intersection of Black maternal health, storytelling, and systems change.
✨ Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten — Minnesota State Senator and Assistant Majority Leader whose work centers racial justice, human dignity, community engagement, and policy.
✨ Simone Hardeman-Jones — Founding Executive Director of GreenLight Fund Twin Cities, a transformational leader working at the intersection of philanthropy, policy, racial equity, and community power.
✨ LaToya Burrell — General Counsel at Zinpro and Executive Director of the Anderson Foundation, bringing decades of experience across law, leadership, education, and racial reconciliation.
✨ Sheree Curry — Award-winning journalist, communications leader, media host, and mother exploring how the stories we tell about Black motherhood shape how women are seen and supported.
✨ Kaytee Crawford — Founder of Twin Cities Lactation, IBCLC, birth + postpartum doula, and perinatal professional providing culturally grounded, trauma-informed support to Black families.
✨ Keesha Hernandez — Irth’s National Community Engagement Manager, certified doula, lactation specialist, and maternal health advocate focused on supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
🚢 Power Moms Brunch Cruise
📍 Minneapolis / Lake Minnetonka
🗓️ Sunday, September 27 | 12–4 PM
Tickets are available now in bio.
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#blackwomensupportingblackwomen #blackwomenentrepreneurs #minneapolismom #powermoms #brunchevent
Grow your skills. Grow your circle ➡️
Looking for a way to expand your network, have your contributions recognized, and do work that matters?
🌟The Irth Ambassador Reset gives you space to do all three.
Whether you’re a birthworker, community organizer, storyteller, content creator, mom, advocate—or simply someone who wants to get more involved—this experience can help you turn your interests into something tangible.
Come for the mission. Stay for the growth, community, and support. 🤎
Applications open September 24 - link in bio to register!
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#blackmaternalcare #blackdoulas #birthworker #birthjustice #ambassadorprogram
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
MINNEAPOLIS--We’re giving away FREE tickets to our Power Moms Brunch Event — and YOU could be joining us for an unforgettable yacht cruise experience with @naturi4real filled with connection, inspiration, and celebration!
Here’s how to enter:
▫️Tag 3 amazing moms or friends in the comments who deserve this
▫️Repost this post to your IG Stories
▫️Don’t forget to tag @theirthapp so we can see it!
Winners will be announced on September 22, 2026 — stay tuned!
Whether you’re a mom, celebrating a mom, or just love a good brunch + empowering vibes… this is for YOU
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#Giveaway #MomsWhoBrunch #PowerMoms #BrunchVibes #MomLife CommunityLove
You may walk in not knowing anyone, but you`re walking out with your new village.
That`s a promise. 🫶🏾
Your community is waiting. ↓
// Friday Sept 11: Atlanta Mixer
// Monday Sept 21: Memphis Mixer
// Monday Sept 21: Mom Focus Group in New Orleans
// Saturday Sept 26: Twin Cities Mixer
// Sunday Sept 27: Power Moms Brunch in Twin Cities
// Saturday Oct 3: New York City Birthworker Appreciation Mixer
🔗Link in bio to discover an event near you & register.
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#BlackWomenSupportingBlackWomen #BirthJustice #BirthWorkers #DoulaCommunity #MomsOfColor
