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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., Sept. 11, 2022. 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. After four cesarean sections with her previous pregnancies, Clark said she feared that her birth plan would not be supported by the medical staff. But after a long labor, Clark said she became anxious and decided to go to the hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy son. Clark is not alone in her distrust of medical intervention in the birthing process. Nine Black pregnant women and new mothers Reuters spoke to for this story voiced similar comments. All of the women spoke of feeling unseen and unheard at times through their pregnancy and postpartum period. PHOTO BY REUTERS/JOY MALONE