BElovedBIRTH Black Centering is your gold-package of Black love for prenatal and postpartum care!

BElovedBIRTH Black Centering goes above and beyond any other prenatal care program. Check out all of the wonderful supports you get!

Group Prenatal & Postpartum Visits 

  • Your Black Centering group visits are facilitated by an all Black care team ready to honor and celebrate you and your growing family. 
  • To keep you safe during the COVID 19 pandemic, all group sessions are online using Zoom. 
  • Group sessions are 2 hours long, so you get more time with your healthcare providers. Our program includes 15 group sessions, caring for you through your pregnancy and into the early postpartum time. 
  • Groups support your learning and preparation. Each group session includes fun interactive activities related to pregnancy, birth, newborn care, breastfeeding, and more. Including friendly competition through “challenge points” with a grand prize at the end of the program.
  • In your group you’ll have the opportunity to talk about Black identity and experiences, racism, and how to thrive as a Black birthing person. 
  • Your group of other Black pregnant moms and parents becomes a network of support, and can even lead to friendships for a lifetime!

Hands-On, Empowering Healthcare

  • The Centering model is all about supporting you to actively participate in your care. And our Black Centering model is all about affirming your power over your body, your pregnancy, and your healthcare. 
  • We provide you with supplies like a blood pressure cuff and pregnancy log. Before each group session you get to check your own vital signs at home, and check on the health of your pregnancy by filling out your log. 
  • During every group session you’ll get a private check-in with your midwife to review your pregnancy log, and make sure you and your baby are doing well. 

In-Person Prenatal Appointments & Ultrasounds 

  • While our group sessions are all virtual, our program also includes one-on-one in-person appointments and ultrasounds as needed. 
  • Your in-person appointments can be scheduled with your Black Centering midwife at our Eastmont Wellness Center clinic, or with any care provider at any of our four clinic sites (Highland Wellness Center, Hayward Wellness Center, and Newark Wellness Center).
  • And if you have any complex medical conditions or factors making your pregnancy more “high-risk”, your Black Centering midwife can consult with our obstetricians and schedule in-person appointments with them as needed.

Childbirth Education, By & For Us

  • Our program includes special childbirth education that honors Black birthing people, and addresses the issues that are important to us.  
  • Educational materials are provided in your participant notebook, and available online. 

Virtual Program Home 

  • We provide you with an online “program home” on a website called Mighty Networks. You can use Mighty Networks from a computer or tablet, or on your phone with the Mighty Networks app. 
  • In your virtual program home you can:
    • Access the link to your group sessions in the “Events” tab
    • Check out childbirth education topics for each session in the “Table of Contents” tab
    • Build community and stay connected to your group 24/7 using the “Activity feed” & “Chat” features

Wrap-Around Social Support

  • Our experienced family support advocates provide individualized care coordination, connecting you with any extra resources and services you may need 

Holistic & Natural Wellness Support

  • Nutrition, exercise, self-care, and stress relief are important to our health in pregnancy. Our program takes a holistic approach, and supports you in your wellness goals. 
  • And to make sure you have what you need, we provide all of our program participants with a tote bag full of essential supplies to support natural pregnancy & postpartum wellness. 

Prenatal & Postpartum Nourishment

  • Nutrition is the foundation for good health, and important for preventing medical complications in pregnancy and postpartum. So we help make sure you have the healthy food you need to thrive in pregnancy and after your baby is born!
  • We partner with Mandela Partners, who delivers boxes of fresh produce to your home, at no cost to you. 
  • And we partner with NOURISH!, who delivers delicious restaurant prepared meals and snacks to your home for 6 weeks postpartum. 

And more…