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Maternal Health Stories
Michigan’s Hear Her campaign features compelling stories from pregnant and parenting people about their experiences during birth or after pregnancy. They share how pregnancy challenges and complications have affected them.
The campaign also includes stories from healthcare professionals on their experiences caring for Michigan birthing persons. They highlight the importance of providing respectful and quality care to every patient.
These stories can be used as a call to action to implement, support, and uplift strategies that aim to improve maternal health and birth outcomes.
Person's with Lived/Living Experience
Note of caution: These digital stories collected are from personal (first-person "I") voice. While these videos are powerful and important to view, they could be triggering or emotional for viewers.
Erica's Birth Story - Discussion 1: "Because I Want To Live"
Rodnesia's Birth Story - Discussion 2: "Looking Ahead"
Tamara's Birth Story - Discussion 3: "Victoria's Wish"
Mandi's Birth Story - Discussion 4: "The Edison Show"
Huda's Birth Story - Discussion 5: "To My Love"
Provider Stories
Healthcare professionals play a critical role in eliminating preventable maternal mortality. One part of the solution is to really hear women’s concerns during and after pregnancy and engage in an open conversation to make sure any issues are adequately addressed.
Helen’s Story – Discussion 6: “Know Your Choices”
Chereka’s Story – Discussion 7: “Doing What I Do”
Additional Story Sources:
- Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC) 100 Voices Storytelling. The videos can be used with professional healthcare training, OBG and medical grand rounds, community gatherings and church meetings, etc. Any opportunity to share these women's journey about what they experienced and what they want to experience will raise the awareness for the need for change.
- March of Dimes: Beyond Labels - Do Your Part to Reduce Stigma. Designed for people who work in health-related fields, this interactive site will help you learn how stigma can impact the healthcare and support women need, seek and receive. Hear stories about the impact of sigma.
- The Illinois Maternal Health Digital Storytelling Project. I PROMOTE-IL conducted the Illinois Maternal Health Digital Storytelling Project to collect perspectives from Illinois birthing persons on experiences of complications and challenges during pregnancy and in the postpartum period through the creation of digital stories (videos).
Additional Resources:
- Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIRM) Strategic Storytelling Toolkit. This e-toolkit provides an overview of strategic storytelling, storytelling in the FIMR process, considerations for storytelling, sources of stories, examples, and resources.
- MoMMA’s Voices mission is to amplify the voices of people who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth complications or loss - especially those who have been historically marginalized - ensuring they are equipped and activated as partners with providers and researchers to improve maternal health outcomes.