Instigators: The Midwife of La Cienega Boulevard

Racha Talahi Lawler provides holistic pregnancy care to all of Los Angeles, but particularly to disadvantaged families who can’t afford midwifery. This is the first part of our “Instigators” series, which profiles four people creating change in women’s health.

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Los Angeles is home.

I was born and raised here.

I come from midwives

and I heard their stories
as a child growing up.

In Los Angeles County
African American women

are two to three times
more likely to suffer

premature birth or to have a
baby die within the first year.

You have to ask the question:

is the hospital really
the safest place for them?

And my mission is all
around making a change in

these statistics.

(soft music)

Oh, it's okay!

Midwifery is closing the gap

because each person is given a path.

Midwives are not anti-hospitals,

midwives are not anti-doctors.

We are advocates for people having access

to the care that they want.

That means they have
the choice to give birth

in a hospital, in a birth center

or at home but supporting
them whichever way they go

and then them getting
the best possible care.

Right now if you were to
Google midwifery you would find

the majority of people
represented are an elite group.

More specifically, white
and so I see myself

as hopefully someone who's
an advocate for those

that are completely
disregarded and unseen in

our community

and if you ask those women,

they'll tell you.

Well, it feels really good
to be seen by someone

who looks like me, who
understands the micro-aggression,

who understands the stress of
just being a person of color

in the United States.

This is the Community Birth Center

and it's located in mid-city.

I run the birth center.

It was funded by women in the community

who I had served as a midwife.

What they find when they come

is a warm, inviting space.

When they make it into the exam room,

it's a conversation.

What's going on, what
can I do for you today?

You're fine.

- When I get to nine months
I'm gonna have like a

small planet attached to the front of me.

- You're great.

Last year, 2014, I had one premature baby

out of 100 babies born
outside of the hospital

and in the hospital.

One premature baby.

That's kind of a big deal.

Are you having any dizziness

or any light-headedness?

Most midwives in a day are
gonna see six to 10 people,

maybe on a really busy day 20.

As opposed to having to have
the caseload of a doctor.

This is where we see a big difference

specifically for African
American families.

(soft music)

The Community Birth Center
offers a sliding scale

for families in need.

The average cost for out-of-
hospital birth with a midwife

in Los Angeles is 6,500 dollars.

I charge $5,000.

I could never charge someone something

that I couldn't afford.

Being a single mom,

there are days that I don't
feel like I have enough:

fiscally, emotionally, spiritually,

all of them; I just don't have enough

but I figure it out.

Will lack of income ultimately close

the Community Birth Center?

It's a very strong possibility

but I'll keep doing it
for as long as I can

and I will never stop giving people care.

I will never stop the sliding scale.

It comes with great sacrifice

but it's worth it.