Why Healthy Black Women Are Pushed Toward C-Sections (And How We Fight Back)
It is a statistic that should stop us in our tracks.
A newly released study revealed a startling reality about birth in America. Healthy Black women with low-risk pregnancies are 20% more likely to have a Cesarean section than white women with similar medical histories.
Let that sink in.
We are not talking about high-risk pregnancies. We are not talking about emergency situations where a C-section saves a life. We are talking about healthy women with healthy babies who are being led down the surgical path simply because of the color of their skin.
At the Santa Clarita Birth Center, we believe that safety is not just about blood pressure and fetal heart rates. Safety is also about being seen, heard, and respected.
This new data highlights a critical flaw in the standard medical model: Race-Based Medicine. And it is exactly why Julia Underwood, a core member of our midwifery collective, has dedicated her practice to serving Black families and advocating for equitable care.
The Algorithm of Bias: The VBAC Calculator
To understand why this disparity exists, we have to look at how race has been taught in medicine.
For years, doctors used a tool called the VBAC Calculator to estimate a person’s chance of having a successful Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. It was the standard. If your score was too low, your doctor would likely deny you a trial of labor and schedule a repeat C-section.
Here is the shocking part. The algorithm included a specific deduction for race.
If you checked the box for “African American” or “Hispanic,” the calculator automatically subtracted points from your success rate. There was no biological reason for this. It was a statistical bias built into the software.
While that specific racial correction was finally removed in 2021, the mindset that created it still lingers in hospital hallways.
As medical educator Joel Bervell points out, tools like these highlight how race-based medicine leads to unequal care. When a provider subconsciously views a Black birthing body as “higher risk” or “more difficult,” they are quicker to intervene, quicker to induce, and quicker to cut.
The Midwifery Difference: Race is Not a Risk Factor
In the midwifery model of care, we do not view race as a risk factor. We view racism as the risk factor.
This distinction changes everything about how we care for you.
When you walk into our center, we don’t look at statistics; we look at you. We assess your nutrition, activity, emotional health, and individual physiology. We know that Black women are just as capable of physiological birth as anyone else.
This is where the specialized work of Julia Underwood, LM, CPM, becomes vital.
Meet Julia Underwood: Advocacy in Action
Within the Santa Clarita Birth Center collective, Julia Underwood specializes in working with Black women and families of color who are navigating a system that has historically failed them.
Julia understands that for Black families, the fear of the hospital system is not unfounded. It is based on generations of data and lived experience. She knows that “Standard of Care” often looks very different depending on who is in the hospital bed.
How Julia Underwood Midwifery Changes the Narrative:
- Protective Care: Julia doesn’t just “catch babies.” She acts as a shield around the birth space. She ensures that her clients are insulated from the bias and unnecessary interventions that drive up C-section rates.
- Cultural Competence: There is a profound safety in being cared for by someone who understands your cultural context. Julia provides a space where you don’t have to code-switch or explain yourself. You can just be.
- The Luxury of Time: In a 10-minute OB visit, it is easy for a doctor to rely on stereotypes. In a 60-minute prenatal visit with Julia, she gets to know your specific body and your specific baby. This deep relationship is the best defense against fear-based decision making.
- True Informed Consent: As we discussed in previous posts, consent is a dialogue. Julia ensures that Black families are given the full picture, empowering them to say “no” to unnecessary procedures that often cascade into C-sections.
You Are Not a Statistic
If you are a Black woman pregnant in Santa Clarita, and you are reading these headlines with a heavy heart, please know this: You have options.
You do not have to birth in an environment where you are viewed as a statistic. You deserve a provider who trusts your body. You deserve a birth team that believes in your ability to birth naturally.
Whether you are looking for a home birth or a birth center experience, Julia Underwood is here to ensure that you are the primary decision-maker in your care.
We are rewriting the narrative of Black maternal health, one empowered birth at a time.
Schedule a Consultation with Julia Underwood: We serve families in the Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, and surrounding areas. 📍 SCV Birth Center: 23548 Lyons Ave suite b, Newhall, CA 91321 📞 Call us: (661) 254-3000
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Caption:
A new study just dropped, and the numbers are hard to ignore. 📉 Healthy Black women with low-risk pregnancies are 20% more likely to have a C-section than white women with similar history.
Why? It’s not biology. It’s bias. 🛑
For years, tools like the VBAC calculator automatically deducted points if a patient was Black or Latina. While the calculator was updated in 2021, the “Race-Based Medicine” mindset still lingers in the hospital system.
At the SCV Birth Center, we don’t view race as a risk factor. We view racism as the risk factor.
This is why we are so proud to have Julia Underwood (@juliaundy on Instagram) in our collective. Julia specializes in working with Black families to provide: ✨ Culturally safe care ✨ Fierce advocacy ✨ A protective space where your voice is heard, not ignored.
You are not a statistic. You are a mother. And you deserve a provider who trusts your body. 🤎
Read more about the gap in care and how midwifery fights back in our new blog. Link in bio.
(Insight on the VBAC calculator via @joelbervell – give him a follow!)