“The only reason why it happened is simply because we’re Black women!”: The Black perinatal healthcare experience in Canada.

Abstract Background: Black Canadian mothers are more likely to experience an adverse health outcome compared to any other race. Yet, the Black maternal healthcare experience is not adequately documented within a Canadian context. This research study interpreted and analyzed the maternal healthcare experiences of Black women living in the Greater Toronto Area. Methods: Focus groups and interviews were conducted utilizing Zoom, with eight Black Canadian mothers. Findings: The mothers agreed that healthcare organizations provided insufficient perinatal provisions, discussed feeling neglected by healthcare providers, the relationship between culture and care, preconceived healthcare biases, expressed their appreciation for supportive healthcare providers, and the stereotype of the ‘strong’ Black woman. Implications: To provide culturally competent care to Black women, healthcare providers must acknowledge their unconscious biases, health services must be made more public to Black mothers, and the Canadian health policies must be modified to improve the Black Canadian morbidity and mortality rates.