By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer
January 29, 2025
Niki knew something was wrong that morning.
“I was shaking,” she recalls. “I was driving to work, and I was shaking so bad. So I took a detour and went straight to the emergency room.”
She pauses for a moment. “That’s how bad I felt.”
Going to the ER was a big deal for Niki, who has always prided herself on being fiercely independent. After moving to L.A. by herself more than a decade ago, she raised three kids on her own while holding down a full-time job as a case manager caring for children with disabilities. Later, after her own kids had grown up and she was living on her own, she switched things up and took on work as a truck driver. It was comforting, in a way, being on the road on her own for hours. Just her own thoughts and the quiet hum of the truck.
All that changed last year when Niki, now in her forties, found out she was pregnant. The discovery left her stunned and a little anxious.
“I didn’t even think I could have kids anymore,” she admits. “But I just embraced the situation because I’ve always wanted more.”
Despite her commitment to making sure her child had the best birth possible, she quickly ran into hurdles. Getting through the labyrinthine health care system took hours on the phone. She couldn’t find a female physician in her vicinity who accepted her insurance. The stress began to take its toll on Niki, even as she began to suspect that her baby might arrive early.
“I realized I was getting so emotional because of this situation,” she says. “ I couldn’t get help, and it was stressing me out.”
So when she checked herself into the ER that day, Niki asked the attending staff for help in dealing with her anxieties.
“All they could do was check my vitals and make sure the baby was okay,” Niki recalls. “There was nothing else they could do.”
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Niki’s experience isn’t an isolated one. Across the U.S., an estimated one out of every five mothers experience
mental health issues during and after their pregnancy. These issues include depression and anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress, postpartum psychosis and more. And every pregnancy comes with its own unique stressors, says Jacqueline Hasty, the equity and social change specialist at the YWCA of San Gabriel Valley.
“Your mental state changes,” Jacqueline notes. “I’m the mother of two sons, and each pregnancy was a different journey. It’s important to realize that one size does not fit all when it comes to maternal mental health. We all have different challenges and issues that we deal with during each pregnancy.”
According to a statewide survey, the percentage of mothers in L.A. County who reported prenatal and postpartum depression symptoms was just slightly below the California average. But the numbers are vastly different for L.A. County’s Black mothers, who experienced prenatal depression at 21.2% and postpartum depression at 15% — well above the county average. Black moms were also more likely to report hardships during pregnancy, including frequent experiences of racism, homelessness, job loss and lost wages, all of which can aggravate an already stressful pregnancy for many Black moms.
“It’s a domino effect,” explains Kyoni Cummings, an education coordinator at NAMI Pomona Valley. “If I’m a mom and I can’t make sure my basic needs are met, then everything else that I have to do, whether big or small or mundane, is going to be that much more taxing. Having a baby can really take a toll on you, both from a socioeconomic standpoint and your mental health.”
Making the situation even more untenable is the shortage of mental health providers throughout the U.S., resulting in disparities of access at the local level. And while L.A. County has numerous mental health centers and counseling service facilities, they are not evenly distributed across the county. The shortage also means there are fewer mental health resources for specialized needs, such as maternal mental health. A 2023 report by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health found Los Angeles County to be among the most under-resourced counties in the nation in terms of maternal mental health services.
Addressing the mental health crisis is no minor undertaking, but it’s a challenge the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) AAIMM Community Action Team (CAT) is leaning into with enthusiasm. Established in 2020, the CAT is committed to addressing the effects of systemic racism endangering the health of Black moms and their babies in the Pasadena-San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County (also referred to as Service Provider Area 3 or SPA 3 for short).
Maternal mental health quickly became a top concern for the CAT following the results of a regional Community Health Needs Assessment. Ashant’a Stoner, the SGV CAT community and outreach co-chair, says that the issue resonated with many of her co-members, given the systemic and social challenges that many of them have experienced firsthand.
“It means a lot to Black mothers, knowing that it isn’t just them,” says Ashant’a. “That how they’re feeling isn’t dismissed by others as a sign of being crazy or depressed. They’re just experiencing real-life issues as Black women in America.”
Connecting with Black moms throughout the San Gabriel Valley region was the first order of business, a task that came with its own difficulties. In SPA 3, African American households are widely dispersed across 400 square miles and throughout 28 cities and 16 unincorporated areas that vary widely in population size, median income and demographic distribution.
“Our first challenge really is connecting with these families,” says Jacqueline, who explains that there is no centralized hub for African American households in SPA 3. “And once you do make that first connection, there’s the matter of earning— and keeping — their trust.”
“There’s probably about four places in the region where we have the largest numbers of Black people,” Ashant’a adds. “So that’s where we’ve been focusing our activities — places like Pasadena and Pomona — so that they can get to them easily.”
Equally important to their outreach work was ensuring resources were available to help moms cope with any stress and anxiety they may be experiencing. Over the last two years, the SGV CAT has built out a network of partners and supporters — including Maternal Mental Health Now, Healthy Neighborhoods, Black Mental Health TaskForce, Department of Mental Health, Black Infant Health, Kaiser Permanente, PHFE-WIC, Octavia’s Bookshelf and Set for Life — that help Black moms meet a broad range of needs, from counseling and mental health supports to diapers, baby formula and more. As part of this work, the SGV CAT is committed to finding providers who demonstrate both cultural competency and shared experiences.
“There are levels of connection that we can all find just from being human and living our lives,” says Kyoni. “But when we’re dealing with what people of color experience in America, it is an extra burden for a Black mother to have to explain or justify herself before she can get the kind of support that she needs just because a doctor or nurse doesn’t understand what she’s been dealing with.”
Working with their partners, the SGV CAT has hosted a series of virtual workshops and healing circles, as well as special events such as a Freedom Day celebration and, more recently, a holiday party that drew 180 families and 400 adults. The CAT’s most popular event is arguably its series of community baby showers, which have been transformed from a rite of passage for an expecting mother to a shared experience that offers both social and emotional support.
“I think it’s important for us to think about the whole person, the entirety of a Black mother’s journey,” Kyoni says. “Community baby showers are really a great way to reach people where they’re at and make sure moms feel seen and supported.”
“I think it’s important for us to think about the whole person, the entirety of a Black mother’s journey,” Kyoni says. “Community baby showers are really a great way to reach people where they’re at and make sure moms feel seen and supported.”
That spirit of care and support was on full display at the most recent community baby shower that took place earlier this summer at the Jackie Robinson Community Center in Pasadena. Laughter and conversation filled the room as more than 62 mothers and their families got to know each other while taking part in guided yoga sessions, crochet classes, food demonstrations and an especially lively game of toss-and-shout that elicited shrieks of laughter among the participants.
“We need to do more of these,” Jacqueline says as she watches the festivities. “These spaces where Black moms can be in and feel: ‘This. This is my space. This is for me.'”
Studies in recent years have illuminated the vital role that community baby showers can play in prenatal care. Showers have proven effective in addressing social determinants of health, reducing infant mortality rates, and improving mental health outcomes for expecting moms.
For new and expecting moms like Niki who have little or no support system in their daily lives, the CAT’s work
can make a major difference. After her experience at the ER that night, Niki made contact with the SGV CAT and met Ashant’a, who not only helped her get the assistance she needed but also became a constant presence in her life.
“They’re heaven-sent angels,” says Niki of the SGV CAT. “I got group therapy. I got food, diapers, baby clothes. And now Ashant’a calls me every month to see how I’m doing, sending me referrals and inviting me to events.”
It’s that sense of connection — that feeling you get when you know someone gets you and is on your side — that genuinely matters, says Ashant’a. Almost as much as the service or resource you provide.
“People never forget how you make them feel,” she observes. “We can do a great job connecting with moms and getting them to events and resources. But we can lose them because of how they’re treated.”
“We all have to be on the same page about treating the people with personhood,” she emphasizes.
The SGV CAT isn’t resting on its laurels; plans are already underway to reach more Black families in the coming
year. Another priority is expanding available resources with programming that addresses the stigma surrounding the subject of mental health and mental health resources to meet the needs of Black dads. Kyoni notes that the CAT is also exploring how they can do their part to fill some of the existing gaps in mental health services.
“We’re also considering holding our own support group for moms,” she says. “As we continue to grow, we can take on more.” These new activities, Kyoni adds, are intended to complement and strengthen the existing ecosystem of mental health resources provided by Black Infant Health and others.
For her part, Jacqueline is hoping the SGV CAT will be able to continue creating spaces of visceral joy and celebration for Black moms.
“It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of partnerships,” adds Jacqueline. “But I feel this is what moms need more of — a sense of village and community. A celebration of their journey.”
Special thank you to those who contributed to this article along with the following SGV AAIMM CAT Planning Team members: Marie Lea Rayo, MPH – Former LA County Department of Public Health Co-Lead; Jasmine Ting, MPH – LA County DPH Co-Lead; Vanessa Valenzuela, RN – LA County DPH Co-Lead; Carmen Rezak, DNP – Healthcare Providers and Groups Co-Chair; Nicole Johnson – Community Outreach and Engagement Co-Chair; Carla Michael, MSW – Former Community Co-Lead; Ashant’a Stoner – Community Co-Lead; Jonathan Wicks, LCSW – Equity and Social Change Manager (Backbone Support, YWCA-SGV); Elon Darthard, MPH – Community Engagement Coordinator (Backbone Support, YWCA-SGV); Jacqueline Hasty – Equity and Social Change Specialist (Backbone Support, YWCA-SGV); Debra Ward, MPH – CEO of YWCA-SGV (Backbone Support).
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This is the fourth story in Building the Village, a special 4-part series highlighting the important work taking place throughout L.A. County to combat the disproportionately high rates of Black maternal and infant deaths and ensure that all Black families experience joyous and healthy births. Created and supported by L.A. County’s African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Prevention Initiative, local partnerships known as Community Action Teams (CATs) are bringing communities together to raise awareness of the crisis and identify the solutions that work best for their community.
Each CAT includes local residents (including mothers/birthing persons and dads/partners), community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, health care providers and plans/networks, birth workers such as doulas and midwives, the L.A. Department of Public Health, the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, First 5 LA, local businesses, and other allies.
Check out the previous stories in the series:
- Antelope Valley Gets New Maternity Home for Black Moms
- Making Room for Dads: Meet the South Los Angeles Communities Advocating for Healthy and Joyous Black Births
- A Sisterhood for Saving Lives
