Perceptions of blame among black women during prenatal care: A mixed methods study.

Summary: Prenatal visits should be safe spaces, but for many Black women, they become sources of guilt. A recent study found that when doctors focus solely on personal choices without acknowledging the impact of systemic racism on health, patients often internalize blame for pregnancy complications. However, the solution is surprisingly human: providers can significantly reduce this emotional burden by explicitly discussing how racism affects health and simply reassuring patients, "It's not your fault" when complications arise.