Birthing the Magic Collaborative

03/18/2026

Smarter Tools. Safer Moms. Stronger Outcomes.

Join us Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 6:00 PM for a powerful conversation with Navigate Maternity focused on practical tools, trusted guidance, and better outcomes for Black birthing people and the people who care for them.

Doulas will receive attendance certificates.

Register here: bit.ly/Knowledge_Voice_Support

03/18/2026

Birth is not only a woman’s issue. It is a family issue, a community issue, and a cultural issue.

Fathers for Safer Births: Men Shifting Birth Culture is a call for men to show up with knowledge, compassion, and confidence throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

This workshop will explore how fathers and father figures can recognize warning signs, ask better questions, support informed decisions, and help create safer, more respectful experiences for Black birthing people and the people who care for them.

Because safer births take informed partners.
Because presence matters.
Because love can look like protection, advocacy, and action.

Join us: bit.ly/Dad_Love

03/18/2026

Safer Births Now: Knowledge, Voice, and Support

This workshop series brings together trusted voices, practical tools, and real support to help families recognize concerns early, speak up with confidence, and navigate pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period with greater knowledge.

Join us virtually on April 6 and 7 for conversations on heart health, person-centered maternity advocacy, community support, and smarter tools for safer outcomes.

April 6 @ 4:30 PM ET
Pregnancy Pearls: Heart Health Matters:
Learn the warning signs that matter most and how to protect your heart during pregnancy and postpartum.

April 6 @ 7:00 PM ET
ACTT Workshop: Speak Up For Safe, Person Centered Maternity Care:
Build the confidence to ask questions, insist on informed consent, and advocate for safe, respectful care.

April 7 @ 4:30 PM ET
Whole Body, Whole Birth: Community Support Models:
Community Support Models: Discover how doulas, pelvic health specialists, and community-based care can strengthen support, recovery, and safer outcomes.

April 7 @ 6:00 PM ET
Navigate Maternity: Smarter Tools. Safer Moms. Stronger Outcomes:
See how home monitoring and digital tools can help families catch warning signs early and act quickly.

Knowledge matters. Your voice matters. Support matters.

Register here: bit.ly/SaferBirthsNow

03/18/2026

Angela Bassett was criticized for looking disappointed when she lost her Oscar.

Teyana Taylor was criticized for looking too excited and too supportive when she lost hers.

That is the context.

Two Black women. Two completely different reactions. The same public punishment.

Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.

When a Black woman shows disappointment, she is called bitter. When she shows joy for someone else, she is called fake, performative, or too much. The reaction is never quite right, because the real issue is not how she responded. The real issue is the endless urge to monitor, judge, and vilify Black women for being human in public.

This is bigger than an awards show. It is about who gets to express emotion freely, and who is expected to manage every facial expression, every gesture, every moment for public comfort.

That scrutiny is exhausting, and it is not accidental.

03/17/2026

Birth should be sacred, safe, and supported. That is our birthright.

Safer Births Now is a powerful series created to inform, equip, and uplift Black birthing people and those who care for them throughout the full journey, from preconception to the postpartum period.

Throughout the series, we will explore advocacy, heart health, gestational diabetes, newborn care, emotional well-being, fatherhood, reproductive justice, and more through conversations designed to bring clarity, confidence, and practical support.

We are also proud to share that doulas will receive attendance certifications, and select sessions offer continuing education credits for nurses.
Join us for this meaningful series and share it with someone who should be there.

bit.ly/Safer_Births_Now

03/17/2026

Too often, conversations about safer births overlook two essentials: pelvic health and doula care. These are the pillars of support that ensure a mother feels seen, protected, and truly cared for.

"Whole Body: Holistic Support for Safer Births" is an intentional conversation on why pelvic health and doula advocacy matter—before, during, and long after labor.

This session invites parents and birth workers to explore whole-person care and recovery, specifically focusing on the unique needs of Black birthing people and their support systems.

Because safer births are not only about delivery.
They are also about support, healing, and what happens after.

➡️ HERE: bit.ly/Whole_Body

03/17/2026

Men have a role in safer births.

Fathers for Safer Births: Men Shifting Birth Culture is a powerful conversation for fathers and father figures who want to show up with knowledge, confidence, and care throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

This workshop will explore how men can support mama in the magic of motherhood.

Because support matters. Presence matters. Informed partners matter.

Join us: bit.ly/Dad_Love

03/17/2026

Vaccines have protected babies and children for generations, and that protection is grounded in science, safety monitoring, and careful pediatric care.

At a time when so much public conversation is driven by noise instead of evidence, families deserve information they can trust about newborn care, well baby visits, and vaccines.

That is why this conversation matters.

Join pediatricians Tomitra Latimer, MD, FAAP, and Audrey Brewer, MD, MPH, FAAP for From Birth to Baby Checkups: Newborn Care and Vaccines, a Safer Births conversation focused on helping families understand what supports healthy starts, what questions to ask, and how evidence based care helps protect babies in the earliest days of life.

This is a conversation worth joining.

Families deserve clear, science grounded information rooted in care, safety, and respect.

Doulas will receive a certificate of attendance.
Nursing CE credit under review.

Thursday, April 9
7 PM ET

Register Here ➡️ bit.ly/Screen_Vaccines

A statement by Dr. Andrew Racine, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, on a federal judge's ruling to block key aspects of HHS Secretary RFK Jr’s efforts to upend vaccine policy:

“Today’s ruling is a historic and welcome outcome for children, communities, and pediatricians everywhere. When Secretary Kennedy made unsupported and unscientific changes to pediatric immunization recommendations last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) was mission-bound to step up and push back against these dangerous actions that have sown chaos and confusion for parents and pediatricians across the country. This decision effectively means that a science-based process for developing immunization recommendations is not to be trifled with and represents a critical step to restoring scientific decision-making to federal vaccine policy that has kept children healthy for years.

“For decades, the AAP partnered closely with the federal government to advance our mission of attaining the optimal health and well-being of children and youth. We would much prefer to return to that partnership and collaborate with federal healthcare agencies instead of litigating against them. Through this partnership, the AAP and federal health agencies collaborated closely, reviewing the science and discussing the latest evidence alongside experts, to develop clear, unified routine childhood and adolescent immunization recommendations that protect children from dangerous, preventable illnesses.

“We stand by ready to resume this role, which is why we issued our annual update to the childhood immunization schedule that has been formally endorsed by more than 12 national medical societies and supported by hundreds of public health groups, experts, and advocates. In the wake of today’s decision, one thing remains clear: parents can continue to turn to the AAP’s childhood vaccine recommendations and talk with their pediatrician about how to best protect their children's health.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/4luuQz0

03/17/2026

On Saturday, April 4, 2026, Birthing the Magic Collaborative will host its virtual 3rd-anniversary fundraiser, 'Beyond the Data. Real Lives. Real Change.'

The evening will feature a viewing of 'Hatchlings', a beautifully filmed short that reflects the beauty, vulnerability, and humanity of pregnancy.

We will also enjoy a live conversation with the award-winning producer and filmmaker Jahmil Eady.

We hope you will consider joining us, making a donation, and sharing this event with others in your circle.

Saturday, April 4, 2026
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM ET
Virtual
Donations start at $35

Learn More & Register Here: https://bit.ly/BTM_Celebration

03/16/2026

The story of Papa Renty and Delia is ultimately about reclaiming humanity and truth.

For generations, their images were used to support racist pseudoscience that tried to justify Black inferiority.

Tamara Lanier’s fight reframed those images for what they truly are: ancestors, family, and sacred history. That act of reclaiming dignity matters because the dehumanization of Black bodies did not end with slavery. It echoes in systems and institutions today.

This is why the work of Birthing the Magic Collaborative resonates so deeply with stories like this. Our work exists because Black bodies and Black lives have too often been dismissed, misunderstood, or devalued in medical spaces.

Birthing the Magic Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, culturally grounded maternal health education so Black birthing people and the people who care for them have the knowledge, tools, and confidence to advocate for respectful care. 

At its core, the work is about restoring agency and dignity. Just as Lanier fought to reclaim the narrative of her ancestors, Birthing the Magic Collaborative works to ensure Black families have access to knowledge that helps them navigate pregnancy, birth, and postpartum safely and confidently.

The goal is simple but profound: birth should be sacred, safe, and supported, not shaped by bias, silence, or systemic neglect.

03/16/2026

the first time in modern history, the American Academy of Pediatrics has broken from the CDC on childhood vaccine guidance.

Let that sink in.

We are living in a moment where misinformation, confusion, and mistrust are shaping how families think about protecting their children. When trusted institutions are no longer aligned, it creates real uncertainty for parents who are simply trying to do the right thing.

We are so grateful for two phenomenal pediatricians ~ Tomitra Latimer and Audrey Brewer, MD, MPH, FAAP ~
who will be leading this important Safer Births conversation: “From Birth to Baby Checkups: Newborn Care and Vaccines.”

This is a conversation worth joining.

Families deserve clear, evidence-based information rooted in care, not confusion or judgments.

*Doulas will receive a certificate of attendance.

Nursing CE credit under review.

Register Here ➡️

https://bit.ly/Screen_Vaccines

Safer Births Now Virtual Maternal Health Fair
Birthing the Magic Collaborative
Shawn Smith

03/16/2026

The movie, "One Battle After Another", has stirred a fair amount of criticism, much of it focused on the character of Perfidia. Some viewers have described her as difficult, abrasive, even unlikable. Others have suggested that portraying a Black woman in such an unflattering way is problematic. I understand the instinct behind that concern. For generations, Black women have been depicted through narrow and damaging stereotypes, so there is a desire to see us represented with grace, charm, beauty, and dignity. I appreciate those portrayals too. There is something deeply satisfying about watching a story where the characters are elegant, composed, and admirable.

Yet, I found One Battle After Another gripping precisely because it refused to do that.

Perfidia is not charming. She is not polished. She is not easy to root for in the traditional sense. But she is real.

The film touches on something that is rarely explored honestly on screen, particularly when it comes to Black women: postpartum mental health. What unfolds in the story goes beyond ordinary postpartum depression. Much of Perfidia’s behavior suggests postpartum psychosis, a far more severe and frightening condition that can distort reality, disrupt judgment, and isolate a woman at the very moment she is expected to be glowing with maternal joy.

And that is the uncomfortable truth the film forces us to confront.

In real life, motherhood is not always wrapped in soft lighting and tender music. For some women, the period after birth can be overwhelming, destabilizing, and frightening. Hormones shift dramatically. Sleep disappears. Identity changes overnight. Support systems may be fragile or absent. For women experiencing postpartum depression or psychosis, the world can feel chaotic, threatening, and impossible to navigate.

Perfidia embodies that chaos.

Her choices are messy. Her behavior can be hard to watch. But mental health crises rarely present themselves in ways that are tidy or socially acceptable. If anything, the discomfort viewers feel toward her is part of the point. The film does not ask us to admire her. It asks us to witness her.

And perhaps that is why some people resist the character. We are accustomed to stories that redeem their protagonists through likability. But illness does not perform for our approval. Pain does not make itself aesthetically pleasing.

What the film does, intentionally or not, is open a conversation about something that many families quietly experience but rarely discuss. Postpartum mental health struggles are real. They affect women across races, classes, and cultures. Yet in Black communities especially, these experiences are often hidden beneath expectations of strength and resilience.

Black women are frequently praised for being strong. But strength can also become a cage. It can make vulnerability feel like failure.

Perfidia breaks that illusion.

She is not the graceful heroine we might prefer. She is a woman unraveling. And while that portrayal may be uncomfortable, it is also deeply human.

Sometimes the most powerful stories are not the ones where everything looks beautiful. They are the ones that reflect life as it actually unfolds, one complicated moment after another.

Congratulations to our friend and the entire cast and crew of on their Best Picture win at the ! ⭐️ The Tam Fam is so proud of you!