Black mothers in the US speak of challenges and resilience

Holistic doula Ciara Clark, 34, receives a kiss from her mother Elle T Parker, 53, while she labors in her birthing pool at her home birth in Toms River, New Jersey, U.S., September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Joy Malone

TOMS RIVER, New Jersey (Reuters) - Ciara Clark, a Black doula, labored for more than nine hours at home before making a last-minute switch to go to the hospital to give birth.

With her own Black doula and mother by her side, Clark had hoped to have her baby at home with no medical assistance at all. She wanted to have a "wild" pregnancy - one that is medically unassisted.