00:00I'm Shakira Akabusi from the Strong Like Mum YouTube.
00:03A national investigation into maternity units has found repeated racism and discrimination,
00:09with Asian women being referred to as princesses and black women being made to withstand pain without medication.
00:16The Independent's Rebecca Thomas reported that Baroness Amos, who led the investigation,
00:20said that families and staff are seeing the same issues time and time again,
00:25despite numerous reviews and calls for change.
00:28Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise to me.
00:31As a woman of colour and a mum of four myself, I've experienced my own discrimination during the pre-
00:36and postnatal period,
00:37including being denied medication after a caesarean section.
00:41Whilst it's encouraging that the government is investigating this, in order for us to see progress, we now need actionable
00:47change.
00:48We need to see women of colour being listened to when communicating their needs, and those needs being met quickly.
00:54We need clearer escalation pathways across the NHS, and we need more diversity in decision-making roles, including race and
01:02lived experience.
01:04We also need to make expert advice on advocating for yourself and understanding your body during the pre- and
01:10postnatal period,
01:11more accessible to everyone.
01:13If you want support understanding your body during the pre- and postnatal period, and recovering post-pregnancy,
01:20you can find more information on the Strong Like Mum YouTube.
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