I’m fighting to make sure black mothers aren’t ignored

MOTHER’S DAY this year is going to be very special for Sandra Igwe as she celebrates it with her young daughters.

“I’m looking forward to home-made cards from my three girls, and my husband is taking me out for my favourite Nigerian food. I can’t wait,” she says.

It’s also a time to reflect on how far she’s come in what started out as a one-woman quest to make sure no mum gets left behind.

Lying in a hospital bed nine years ago having just given birth to her first child, Sandra felt vulnerable and dismissed. 

This wasn’t how new motherhood was supposed to be.

“It was a traumatic experience. I was sent home several times, and I had a really bad experience giving birth with my first daughter Zoe in 2016 and again with my second daughter Chloe in 2018.

“They ignored my concerns. They didn’t respond in a timely manner. The nurses said I was exaggerating my pain. They accused me rather than asking me questions. 

“They didn’t give me pain relief. They told me that I was in a queue, but the queue never reached me. The staff were disrespectful, unkind, not caring.”

She quickly found that her experience wasn’t just an isolated case: other black mothers had been treated differently too.

So, in 2016, Sandra founded The Motherhood Group, a social enterprise to improve the pregnancy and birth experiences of black mothers.

“When I spoke to other mothers, a lot of my white counterparts didn’t have the same complications. 

“A lot of the black mothers who I spoke to sadly had negative birthing experiences as well.

“They said, ‘Oh I didn’t get pain relief either’ or ‘I was scared to raise my concerns about postpartum depression’ or ‘nobody asked about my cultural care’.”

Sadly, official statistics bear out the stark racial disparities in maternity care. Black mothers are still three times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth compared to white mothers.

With National Lottery funding, The Motherhood Group has now reached more than 18,000 women through its meet-ups, events and support networks. 

BEING RECOGNISED FOR MAKING AN IMPACT… IT’S JUST WONDERFUL

The group has also trained 7,000 healthcare practitioners in how best to work with black mums – as well as helping to shape future maternity care.

“It’s grown so quickly,” Sandra says. “We started as a WhatsApp group. Now we’re doing large-scale conferences with over 500 people in attendance.”

In 2024, Sandra was chosen as one of 30 National Lottery Game Changers for the extraordinary things she’s done for The Motherhood Group with the help of National Lottery funding. 

Since 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £50billion for good causes in every corner of the UK. 

“Being recognised for making an impact on my community of mothers, black women, who want that support… it’s just wonderful, it means a lot to me,” says Sandra.

The initiative she’s most proud of is the recently launched Blackmums app, which uses AI technology to link up mums for baby playdates, or just a chat.

“If you’ve had depression or an emergency C section, or general parenting issues, it brings up the profile of a mother in your local area who has gone through similar things. 

“That’s what I wish I’d had nine years ago when I first gave birth,” she says.

Mum of two Angela Ajiboye, 31, a practice development lead for Youth Justice, joined The Motherhood Group after having her first child during lockdown.

She went along to its Black Mum Fest event in 2021 and has never looked back. 

“It was tough having a baby during Covid: everything was online for so long. 

“I didn’t know anyone there, but there were other mums who looked like me, were similar ages to me and lots of great speakers. 

“Being in the room with other mums and feeling like, ‘OK, I’m not the only one’ – my confidence just grew,” she says. “Then I met Sandra and she was so warm and encouraging.”

Now Angela supports other mothers at talks and events. She even created a local motherhood group, 365 Mum, and is a finalist in the Black Maternal Health Awards, proving that what goes around comes around, in bucketloads. 

“The Motherhood Group will keep pushing for systemic change,” adds Sandra. 

“These days we’re seeing a lot more empowerment, with mothers feeling like they can speak up for themselves – and that they can ask for support and help.”

Find out how playing The National Lottery helps change lives every day at national-lottery.co.uk/life-changing