Poor oral health may be linked to:

• Preeclampsia
• Preterm birth
• Low birth weight

Keep your mouth healthy while pregnant by:

• Visiting the dentist when pregnant and regularly therafter
• Brushing twice a day, everyday for two minutes
• Eating healthy foods
• Drinking water
• Quitting smoking

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TIPS

The California Abundant Birth Project (CA ABP) is now in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties!!

CA ABP is a guaranteed income program that provides cash during pregnancy. It was developed by Expecting Justice and the community to make birthing healthier and safer for the people facing the greatest risk during their pregnancy journey.

CA ABP provides cash with no strings attached as a strategy to prevent stress during pregnancy. Research shows this is likely to prevent babies from being born too early or too small and can also protect the health of the mother (birthing parent). By providing unconditional cash, mamas have resources to support themselves and their families, and babies have the chance at a healthy start.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus held an annual ceremony in the State Capitol to recognize seven California ‘HERstory Makers’. In recognition of her groundbreaking achievements, the Caucus chose our executive director, Janette Robinson-Flint, as one of the 2024 California Women Making HERstory. The California Legislature paid tribute to Janette on Monday, March 11th in Sacramento, presented by State Senator Nancy Skinner.

Since 2018, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH), in partnership with First 5 LA and community-based organizations, has led a broad African American Infant & Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM) to address the disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes caused by the societal and physiological effects of racism and discrimination. The AAIMM Doula Program launched in 2019 to match Black pregnant individuals with skilled Black birth doulas who provide support, advocacy, and education throughout the perinatal period. In addition to direct service provision, the Program also organizes workforce development opportunities for birthworkers of color and fosters demand for doula services via public awareness, clinician and community engagement, and statewide policy work.

[AAIMM Contribution: Activating Our Village in Los Angeles County: Birth Equity & Black Families
Authors: Sonya Young Aadam, Dr. Deborah Allen, Dr. Brandi Desjolais, Dr. Melissa Franklin, Adjoa Jones, Helen O’Connor, Kaci Patterson, Dr. Sylvia Swilley]

Collective Impact Fuels Change in Maternal Health
More than 150 maternal health professionals join forces to create maternal health playbook

[CHAPEL HILL, NC] - Esteemed maternal health professionals in partnership with

the de Beaumont Foundation and the Maternal Health Learning & Innovation Center

(MHLIC) today announce the release of the highly anticipated book, The Practical

Playbook III: Working Together to Improve Maternal Health. This comprehensive and

groundbreaking work serves as a crucial resource for professionals across diverse

fields, providing practical and actionable guidance. A key focus of the book is to

encourage collaboration across sectors to address the multifaceted challenges in

maternal health.

In The Practical Playbook III, writers delve into the collaborative efforts essential for

improving maternal health outcomes. “The book is unique in that it brings together

the expertise of practitioners and people with lived experience who have known

about and been invested in reversing the maternal health crisis since before it gained

national attention,” said co-editor Lindsey Yates, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor

in the UNC Department of Maternal and Child Health.

The book offers a meticulous exploration of effective strategies, evidence-based

practices, and innovative approaches to address the complexities surrounding

maternal health.

The Los Angeles County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM) today received the 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize. The prize celebrates communities across the country where people and organizations are collaborating to build positive solutions to barriers that have created unequal opportunities for health and well being. 

LOS ANGELES — On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris toured Baby2Baby in Baldwin Hills to spotlight maternal health crisis. This comes just after the White House announced a new blueprint to address the crisis.

Locally, there is a big push to do the same. Dr. Melissa Franklin, director of maternal, child and adolescent health at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, says Black women are four times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications in the county.

Dr. Franklin and additional members of the AAIMM Prevention Initiative members were interviewed on Spectrum News;

“The AAIMM Initiative… is our work to address birth inequity - the injustice of Black mamas, birthing folks and babies dying at higher rates than any other race,” said Dr. Franklin.

VIEW CLIP HERE

The Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence, a part of Charles R. Drew University of Science and Medicine, is working to address the issue by offering free and low-cost services to include prenatal and postpartum care.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SPECTRUM INTERVIEW

What does it mean to truly love your fellow man? As February is not only Black History Month, but also the month in which we celebrate Valentine's Day, we dove a little deeper into the meaning of love. The Greek word, "philia," translates to "brotherly love." Of the four types of love described in the Greek, it is considered the highest form of love. 

Brotherly love is the love for our fellow person. This is what the Village is to us: loving our fellow person, Black mothers/birthing persons and their babies, as family. Let's continue to hold each other as family while we remain steadfast in our work and celebrate each healthy and joyous Black birth.

Love also is a word that requires taking action. We’re inviting you to put “philia” into action by helping us grow the greater AAIMM village of support for Black families in Los Angeles County. You can do this by sharing our programs and resources with families who may need them, or participating in our programs if you are an expectant parent or looking for an opportunity to volunteer. 

We’ve made it really easy for you to participate in growing the village by creating a text number.* Simply text the number below with the corresponding code indicating the program you’d like to receive more information about:

TEXT NUMBER: 323-745-2771

Doula Program: Text DOULA

Fatherhood Program: Text DAD

Newsletter: Text PLEDGE to take the Pledge to end Black maternal & infant births and to sign up for our newsletter (optional)

Antelope Valley Community Action Team: Text AV to learn more about volunteer opportunities in Antelope Valley

Santa Clarita/San Fernando Valley Community Action Team: Text SFV to learn more about volunteer opportunities in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys

San Gabriel Valley Community Action Team: Text SGV to learn more about volunteer opportunities in San Gabriel Valley

South LA/South Bay Community Action Team: Text SLASB to learn more about volunteer opportunities in South LA and South Bay

*PLEASE NOTE: This number is for text messages ONLY and is not monitored for phone calls. 

Thank you for being a part of birthing justice history by helping us grow the village to support healthy and joyous Black births!