"I still think about that experience and wonder if the colour of my skin influenced the care I received"

A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services:

Before I gave birth, a black midwife quietly warned me about what I might face on the maternity ward. She told me to speak up if I was in pain and to exaggerate what I was feeling and added that I might not be listened to because of the colour of my skin. At the time, I brushed off her concerns as I had never experienced racism before, so why would I whilst being cared for in hospital.

After giving birth, I became unwell on the postnatal ward. I told the nurses something wasn’t right, but they didn’t listen. My pain was dismissed, and I was denied pain relief or medical assessment. I felt invisible and powerless in a moment when I should have been supported and believed. I was aware of the stereotype of the “angry Black woman” and didn’t want to be seen that way. I wasn’t angry - I was in pain and needed care.

Two years later, I still think about that experience and wonder if the colour of my skin influenced the care I received. Racism in maternity care isn’t always obvious or deliberate and unfortunately, this story isn’t unique.

Every woman deserves to be heard and cared for equally without discrimination.