It is well established that Black women are at greater risk for preterm birth (PTB) and infant mortality than other race/ethnicities in the United States, particularly in the south. Evidence exists supporting the effects of adequate prenatal care to significantly reduce the risk of PTB among this vulnerable population (Debiec, Paul, Mitchell, & Hitti, 2010; Picklesimer, Billings, Hale, Blackhurst, & Covington-Kolb, 2012). However, Black mothers are 2.3 times more likely than White mothers to receive prenatal care late, or not at all (Office of Minority Health [OMH], 2015). Rationale for this trend remains unclear. The purpose of this article is to examine how current literature addresses Black women's experience of antenatal care, including the role that midwives may have in that care. A brief history of Black midwives and their role as the major health care providers for Black women, as well as the current trends in midwifery, will provide background and offer a point of reference. While much of the literature focuses on birth outcomes, provider qualities, and situational life factors in conjunction with the prenatal care received by Black women, very few investigate the effects that historical underpinnings may have played in Black women's current reception of prenatal care. The history of Black women's health care and the prominent role that midwifery played is all but forgotten. Throughout this review, the term Black is used rather than African American as birth certificate data and much of the early demographic data use the term Black as a racial indicator.
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