How birthFUND’s Elaine Welteroth And Mielle’s Monique Rodriguez Are Rewriting The Maternal Health Narrative

What would you do differently if you knew that more than 8 in 10 deaths caused by pregnancy were preventable, with help from proper midwifery care? Journalist and author Elaine Welteroth, on one hand, is using her platform to educate her community about this statistic. She does so via her organization, birthFUND that funds access to midwifery-led care, and supports birth centers and providers.

Founded in 2024, the organization was, in large part, also inspired by her own personal challenges with the maternal health care system.  “While my early experiences in pregnancy with doctors in hospitals left me feeling demoralized and unsafe at a time when I needed real support more than ever, discovering midwifery care profoundly changed my understanding of what pregnancy and birth could be,” Welteroth tells ESSENCE. “My midwifery-led home birth experience was transformational and hands-down the most empowering experience of my life.”

Naturally, afterward, she continued to do research and found that, while midwifery care can help prevent many maternal health crises, it’s not an accessible option for many. “As both a journalist and a new mom, I couldn’t reconcile the fact that America has the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations—and yet we had somehow normalized this crisis,” she shares. “The statistics are devastating, but maternal death and birth trauma are not inevitable. They are preventable, and we have solutions within reach.”

Since the organization’s launch, Welteroth has led birthFUND into everything from the birthFUND100 Initiative, to raising millions for families in need, and even becoming the official nonprofit partner for Billboard’s Women in Music, and more. 

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More recently, she held an intimate, inspirational event last month in Martha’s Vineyard called DELIVERED. There, she held space for Mielle Organics founder Monique Rodriguez to publicly share her traumatic birth story for the first time. This was a full circle moment as the two had met a year prior, in Martha’s Vineyard, at the inaugural birthFUND brunch. “Rather than hosting a traditional fundraising event or just another event to see and be seen, I wanted to create an intimate gathering that moves beyond statistics and really connects with why this work matters on a human level,” Welteroth shares. “It was a night of storytelling around the piano, breath work, and live music that bonded everyone in the space in a really special way,” she adds. 

When it came to feeling ready to share this story publicly, “I really believe it was God’s timing,” Rodriguez tells ESSENCE. Before the two met last year, Rodriguez mentions she used to avoid birthFUND events. Not because she didn’t believe in the work. But, because it hit so close to home. “I just wasn’t ready to face it all,” she says. 

But, meeting her last year, “felt like a nudge from God saying, ‘it’s time. You need to be a part of this,’” she adds. “I don’t know that you’re ever completely ready to share something that painful and personal. But I’ve reached a place where I understand that maybe my story isn’t only for me,” she says. “If sharing what I’ve experienced can help another woman, bring awareness to this work, or help create better outcomes for mothers and families, then there’s purpose in sharing it,” she adds. “My faith has taught me that God can take even the most painful parts of our stories and use them for something greater. I think this was my moment to allow Him to do that.”

Also during this year’s event in Martha’s Vineyard, the duo announced their upcoming partnership—a multi-year investment in continuing the fight to close the gaps in the maternal healthcare system. Specifically, they’re working together to fund the inaugural birthFUND Milan Rodriguez Midwifery Scholarship program, named after Rodriguez’s late son, at Kennedy-King College in Chicago, created by the Black Midwifery Collective. 

“One of the things I love about birthFUND is that we’re not just talking about the maternal health crisis; we’re investing in solutions. For me, the partnership also became about access,” Rodriguez, who is also a Chicago-native and received her Nursing degree from a community college in the city, says. “How do we help create access to care for mothers, but also create access to opportunity for the people who want to become part of the solution?”

That said, “through this partnership, we want to help create pathways and opportunities for students to pursue careers in maternal health, including becoming midwives,” Rodriguez says of the full circle moment for her. “These are students who may have the passion and ability to serve their communities but simply need access, resources, and someone willing to invest in their potential.” She adds that this is what true legacy should look like. “It’s not simply about what you accomplish for yourself. It’s about coming back and creating a pathway for somebody else.”

As she walks into this new chapter, Rodriguez shares that it’s all about purpose, impact, and intentionality. “For so many years, I was in building mode; building Mielle, raising my family, growing as an entrepreneur, and I’m incredibly grateful for all of it,” she shares. “But now I’m in a season where I’m asking: What do I do with everything God has blessed me with? How do I use my experiences, my resources, and my platform to make a meaningful difference?

Meanwhile, Welteroth finds herself most excited about expanding birthFUND. “I want it to be the kind of organization that will have a lasting impact not just on the maternal health landscape—but on the culture and broader conversation around birth in this country,” she says. “Systems don’t change until hearts and minds do…we genuinely believe that every family deserves access to safe, dignified birth experiences,” Welteroth says. “It shouldn’t be considered a luxury to have a beautiful, safe birth experience in the richest country in the world. Ultimately, it’s on us to save us. One birth at a time.”