National Stress Awareness Month in the Black Perinatal Space

National Stress Awareness Month (observed every April) is an opportunity to name, normalize, and address stress especially in communities where stress is chronic, compounded, and often minimized. In the Black perinatal space, stress is not just emotional; it is social, systemic, historical, and physiological. As a PMHNP lens would affirm: stress during pregnancy and postpartum is not a personal weakness it is often a response to lived realities.

Why Stress Awareness Matters in the Black Perinatal Space

Black birthing individuals experience higher rates of:

• Maternal morbidity and mortality

• Preterm birth and low birth weight

• Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

• Chronic exposure to racism-related stress

Research on “weathering” shows that chronic stress—especially racism-related stress—impacts the body over time, increasing allostatic load and affecting pregnancy outcomes.

Stress here is layered:

• Structural stress (healthcare bias, insurance gaps, housing instability)

• Relational stress (lack of support, partner strain)

• Economic stress (food insecurity, employment instability)

• Identity stress (strong Black woman schema, stigma around mental health)

• Teen perinatal stressors (school interruption, judgment, limited resources)

The Physiology of Stress in Pregnancy

When stress becomes chronic:

• Cortisol remains elevated

• Inflammation increases

• Sleep is disrupted

• Blood pressure may rise

• Emotional regulation becomes harder

For pregnant and postpartum individuals, this can increase risk for:

• Perinatal depression

• Perinatal anxiety

• Hypertensive disorders

• Preterm labor

Stress is not “just in the mind”, it lives in the body.

Unique Stressors for Black Parents

1. Navigating healthcare systems where implicit bias exists

2. Being dismissed when reporting symptoms

3. Fear for safety during childbirth

4. Financial pressures amplified by systemic inequities

5. Parenting Black children in a racially stratified society

6. Social media comparison culture

7. Generational trauma

Protective & Healing Factors

Despite these stressors, the Black perinatal space is also rich with resilience:

• Faith communities

• Sister circles and doulas

• Intergenerational wisdom

• Culturally aligned providers

• Community-based maternal health programs

• Advocacy movements improving Black maternal outcomes

Stress awareness must move beyond coping—it must include advocacy.

Action Steps for National Stress Awareness Month

For Providers (PMHNP lens):

• Screen early and often for stress and perinatal mood disorders

• Validate experiences of racism-related stress

• Use trauma-informed, culturally responsive care

• Partner with community doulas and Black-led organizations

For Faith & Community Leaders:

• Normalize mental health conversations in maternal spaces

• Host stress management workshops

• Offer meal trains and practical support

For Families & Support Systems:

• Ask: “How are you really feeling?”

• Reduce pressure to “bounce back”

• Share the caregiving load

  
  

Stress Management Strategies That Honor Culture

• Breathwork and grounding practices

• Faith-based meditation or prayer

• Journaling focused on identity affirmation

• Therapy with culturally competent providers

• Movement (walking groups, dance, prenatal yoga)

• Community storytelling spaces

  
  

A Reframe

In the Black perinatal space, stress awareness is also justice awareness.

It asks:

• Why are Black mothers and birthing people carrying disproportionate burdens?

• What systems must change?

• How do we build safety—not just coping strategies?

Kesha Nelson, PhD, MSN/Ed, RN, APRN-CNP, PMHNP-BC, ADHD-CCSP

Director of Mental Health – BLACK BERRY & JUICE

The BLACK Collaborative Inc.