During an interview on the Pod Meets World podcast on April 27, actress Tatyana Ali opened up about the trauma she experienced while welcoming first child with husband Vaughn Rasberry. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum recalled being “held down” during her delivery with son Edward, who is now 10 years old, shocking as she had a “really healthy pregnancy” and had spoken to staff about her birth plan prior.
“Our birth plan wasn’t followed,” the star, who also shares a 6-year-old son named Alejandro with Rasberry, revealed to hosts Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong. “I was also held down, my arms and legs,” she continued, describing her treatment as an act of “obstetric violence.”
At one point, Ali claimed doctors pushed her son “back inside” despite him being “all the way crowned.”
“That’s not a real procedure,” she added flat out. “It’s an incredibly dangerous thing that they did; they could have snapped his neck, but this is after hours of them holding me down.”
Black women face disproportionately high rates of maternal complications.
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Tayana Ali’s story highlights the harsh realities many Black mothers face within the U.S. healthcare system. Obstetric racism, a form of medical discrimination and violence against Black pregnant individuals, contributes to disproportionately high rates of maternal and infant mortality, serious birth complications, and dismissive treatment during pregnancy and childbirth.
In the United States, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, often because their pain, concerns, and medical needs are ignored or minimized. Systemic racism and medical bias frequently contribute to these devastating outcomes, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, despite the fact that many of these tragedies are preventable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that more than 80% of pregnancy-related complications and deaths could be prevented with proper care, culturally sensitive support, and informed birth planning.
Ali shared that after the birth of her son Edward, he required specialized treatment and remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She recalled that “he couldn’t pee on his own for a long time, about five or six days.”
“Actually, it was a pediatric urologist who was the only one who came to my side and said, ‘I saw what happened during your birth, the things that resulted in this emergency C-section,’ “Ali shared on Pod Meets World. She said, ‘I think the traumatic nature of his birth is what is causing this,’ ”Ali recalled, revealing, “We [then] left [the hospital] in the middle of the night … we ran away.”
Tatyana Ali became a maternal health advocate shortly after welcoming her second son.
The traumatic experience motivated Ali to become an advocate for Black maternal health and to speak out about the discrimination Black women often encounter during pregnancy, childbirth, and medical treatment. She now works closely with organizations such as Black Mamas Matter Alliance to raise awareness about the disparities Black women face and push for systemic change.
During an interview with Fox 5 DC on April 18, Ali explained that her advocacy journey began after learning she was pregnant with Alejandro, a moment she described as both emotional and frightening.
“I was really in prayer and scared… and I didn’t know what to do or where to turn.”
Ali later participated in a panel hosted by Black Mamas Matter Alliance focused on nursing and maternal health. She said she felt inspired after walking into a room filled with reproductive justice advocates, midwives, doulas, and healthcare professionals committed to exposing these inequities while also creating real solutions.
“I wanted to spread the good news that there are people out there. There is a whole mission and movement of people who are trying to take care of us, who are doing the work and their success rates are incredible and so we need investment in that and they need our support,” she told the outlet.
Listen to Ali’s full interview on the Pod Meets World podcast here.
