Health Platform For Black Women Receives $40K Funding Boost For Maternal Health Initiative

Birth By Us hopes to drive meaningful progress in maternal health equity for Black women.

The maternal health platform Birth By Us has received a $40,000 grant.

The 2024 Westly Prize for Young Social Innovators is an unrestricted grant supporting innovative social enterprises, according to AfroTech. The award was created by The Westly Foundation, which provides “funding opportunities that advance education, improve healthcare access, and support the growth and well-being of our children,” according to its website.

Birth By Us provides resources for Black women from prenatal to postpartum. It was founded in 2021 by University of California Berkeley alumna Ijeoma Uche and Massachusetts Institute of Technology pre-medical student Mercy Oladipo.

“I felt so supported in a way I haven’t felt in a long time,” Uche said in an interview with The Brown Daily Herald, where she explained how difficult it can be to get funding for a company focused on advancing Black maternal health.

Uche and Oladipo created Birth By Us to address the alarming disparities Black women face around pregnancy and postpartum care. According to Oladipo, Black women suffer “some of the worst outcomes and experiences.”

The health platform aims to empower Black mothers-to-be mothers by giving them the resources they need to prepare for doctor visits. Uche and Oladipo also offer daily wellness checks, health insights, and a directory to help pinpoint concerns versus normal changes through their platform, according to The Brown Daily Herald.

“We empower women of color to shape their birthing experience while giving providers insights to better support their pregnancy and birth,” said Uche.

The duo hopes to use the funding to grow its team. “This will help us make the impact we want as quickly as we anticipate,” said Uche. Birth By Us’ team currently includes four medical advisors, a biostatistics advisor, a technical advisor, and interns in product design and engineering.