Tatyana Ali recently opened up about the traumatic experience she had with the birth of her first child.
Her ordeal inspired her to be an advocate for reproductive justice.
Tatyana Ali described how dismissive her first doctors were in regards to her questions and concerns during her pregnancy. She said, “When I asked my OB-GYN what positions I could be in during labor and delivery, he said that I ‘could hang from the lights’ if that made me happy. This being my first birth, the dismissal of my very earnest query into birthing techniques hurt. I felt silly. That should have been a warning.”
Ali even addresses Congress about the racism black women experience in the healthcare industry. She said, "Many are now scared to start families because they know that we are dying in hospitals. We don't have to lose anyone else. We need to be heard and we need to be believed."
Tatyana revealed that during her second pregnancy she took control and hired a 'black midwife who I felt connected to'.
Ali also stated that her second birth completely healed her trauma from the previous neglect and disregard of her and her first son's health.
She wants to encourage moms to not be afraid. She said, “Share your story, share it, share it, do not stop digging. You can have the type of birth that you want, the kind of support that you want. We are often talked about as a needy community, that we have more needs than anyone else. Any mother of any ethnicity knows we need community, we need support, we need help when things go wrong. Unfortunately, our systems are such that some people get those needs met and some don’t. Remember that and let that empower you to get what you need.”